Recipes: Chicken pie and sticky toffee pudding - the perfect winter warmers

When the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, what better way to keep the cold out with something filling for all the family.

Here I offer two really easy recipes starting with a delicious heart warming pie, followed by my signature sticky toffee pudding – hard to beat, according to some of the Saints players. Please enjoy, happy eating.

CHICKEN, HAM AND LEEK PIE

Ingredients: For the filling you will need

• 450g chicken stock
• 3 skinned chicken breasts
• 75g butter
• 2 leeks
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 50g plain flour
• 200ml milk
• 150ml double cream
• 150g thick cut carved ham
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

For the pastry you will need

• 250g strong plain flour
• 1tsp sea salt
• 250g soft butter (at room temperature)
• 150ml cold water
• 1 egg

Heat your chicken stock in a lidded saucepan, add the chicken breast and simmer for 10 minutes leaving the lid on the pan. Remove the chicken and pour the stock into a jug.

Melt your 75g of butter in the pan then add the leeks and garlic to fry until soft. Add the flour to the mix when the butter has completely melted. Constantly stir for 30 seconds to one minute. Slowly add the milk to the pan, a little at a time while constantly stirring.

Then add 200ml of your stock, keep stirring until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season your sauce with the sea salt and black pepper, pour into a bowl and set to cool. Pre-heat your oven at 200C/ gas mark 6.

For the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, break the butter into chunks and add to the bowl. Make a well in the mixture and add two thirds of the cold water to the mix and stir until you have a thick dough.

Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Beat an egg in a jug for later to stick your pastry together. Turn out on to a lightly floured board and gently kneed then roll into a smooth rectangle (roll your dough in one direction only).

Line your dish with the pastry, leaving a small overhang on the edges. Go back to your cooled sauce and add the chicken breast – cut it into chunks first. Stir in the leeks and pour the mixture into your pie dish. Brush the pastry rim with your beaten egg.

Roll out your reserved pastry for the lid, cover your pie and press together firmly to seal. Remove any excess. Make a small hole in the centre of your pie with a knife then glaze with the beaten egg. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

Ingredients:

• For the sponge you will need
• 50g softened butter
• 200g demerara sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp black treacle
• 200g self raising flour
• 150g pitted dates
• 300ml boiling water
• 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the sauce you will need

• 100ml double cream
• 50g softened butter
• 50g muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 1 tbsp golden syrup

METHOD: Pre-heat your oven at 200C/gas mark 6 and flour/grease your baking moulds/tray. Cream the butter and sugar together then add the syrup, treacle and eggs to the mixture. Blend or mix until smooth, add flour then mix again.

Blend the dates and boiling water in a food processor to a smooth purée, stir in the bicarbonate soda and vanilla extract. Pour the date mixture into the pudding batter and give a good stir. Pour the mixture into your floured cake moulds/greased baking tray (whatever your using).

Bake in the centre of your oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile make your sauce by just adding all the sauce ingredients in the pan on a high heat and stir occasionally until boiling.