Directions

1. (Ensure the pan or pot is large enough to house all ingredients including liquids later on)
2. If you are making a pie with a pastry bottom and not just the top ensure you blind bake the pastry first lining it with parchment paper and baking beans to avoid a soggy bottom and bake blindly for 15-20 mins at gas mark 5
3. Stab across your pastry with a fork to allow air to release during the blind bake.
4. I had to improvise as I did not have any baking beans so I used actual beans drained and dried some chickpeas and cannellini beans and spread these across the parchment paper to keep the pastry from rising. You can also use rice.
5. Slice the carrots, add to a large frying pan with a small drizzle of olive oil and cook until slightly golden. Once browned add the sliced leeks and a knob of salted butter and cook until the leeks have reduced down.
6. Add the red onions and cook until golden.
7. Add in the sliced bacon pieces and cook until slightly golden.
8. Sprinkle in the dried sage and cook further for another 3-4 minutes on a medium heat.
9. Add in the chicken breast chunks and cook until mostly cooked.
10. Top tip: (Be careful not to overcook the chicken at this stage as it will cook further in the oven under the pastry)
11. Once the chicken and bacon have cooked for another 3 minutes add in the chicken stock and sprinkle over the parsley.
12. As the chicken stock begins to bubble in the pan add in the double cream and stir well until all combined season to taste with salt and pepper.
13. Top tip: As you would have used Salted butter you should go easy with the salt as it may become salty. You can leave the salt out too. You can also use unsalted butter if you wish.
14. Top the pie with the remaining pastry and poke some holes into the top of the pastry to release the steam when cooking. Add any designs with the leftover pastry to the top.
15. Brush with egg wash to get a good colour on top once baked.
16. Cook for 30 minutes on Gas Mark 6 until golden brown.