Shropshire Fidget Pie with Gammon, Apples and Cider

Lift the lid on a Shropshire fidget pie and you get the smell of Sunday lunch with the apple sauce already stirred in. Under the golden pastry sit chunks of salty gammon, tender potatoes and apples, all bound by a little cider gravy. The apples soften around the meat and give the whole filling a gentle tang. Meanwhile, the potatoes soak up the juices, which is a much better job than sitting boiled and forgotten beside the pie.

The pie belongs to Shropshire’s rural cooking tradition, though its exact birthplace and age are hard to pin down. Local accounts describe a portable lunch for farm workers, with a sturdy pastry case doing the work of a lunchbox. However, the name has proved harder to explain than the filling. One story gives the old pie five sides, while another has the ingredients shuffling about as they bake. Then there’s the theory involving a polecat, once called a fitch. Whoever came up with that one was clearly having more fun than the person trying to sell the pies.

Versions of fidget pie turn up elsewhere in the Midlands, and even Shropshire cooks disagree agreeably about the details. Some use bacon in place of gammon, while others moisten the filling with stock instead of cider. A raised pie has pastry underneath and around the sides, so you can pick up a cold wedge. Meanwhile, a pastry lid over a deep dish is easier for supper at home. Ludlow Farm Shop has even made a version topped with piped mustard mash, which gives the potato a rare chance to show off.

Bramleys give the gravy a brisk edge and collapse as they cook. For a filling with more texture, swap one Bramley for a firm eating apple such as a Cox. Then pour a dry or lightly sparkling cider alongside the pie. Its acidity suits the salty gammon and buttery crust. Sparkling apple juice with a squeeze of lemon works well too. Serve the pie hot with buttered cabbage or steamed leeks. If you’re eating it cold, add pickled onions and a spoonful of sharp mustard.

Gammon brings protein, while the apples and potatoes contribute some fibre. However, cured gammon can be salty, and butter-rich pastry makes this a substantial meal. Taste the filling before you reach for the salt, especially if you’ve used stock. A generous helping of greens makes a good partner for a modest wedge. Besides, the potatoes are already under the lid, so there’s no need to boil another panful.

Shropshire fidget pie recipe

This pastry-topped version serves six. Use a deep 23 cm pie dish and allow about 30 minutes for preparation, plus time for cooling the filling and baking.

For the filling, you’ll need 500 g unsmoked gammon steaks, trimmed and cut into 2 cm pieces, and 450 g Maris Piper potatoes. Have ready two medium onions, two Bramley apples, 25 g unsalted butter and 1½ tablespoons plain flour. Measure out 200 ml dry cider and 100 ml unsalted chicken stock. Set aside 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard, black pepper, 320 g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry and one beaten egg.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm slices. Boil them for 5 minutes, then drain well. Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions and soften them in the butter over medium-low heat for 8 minutes. Add the gammon and cook for 4 minutes, stirring. Next, stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Gradually add the cider and stock, stirring as the sauce thickens. Simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the mustard and a few grinds of black pepper.

Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Fold them and the potatoes into the gammon mixture, then spoon everything into the pie dish. Let the filling cool so its steam doesn’t soften the pastry. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan, gas mark 6.

Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg, lay the pastry over the filling and press it onto the rim. Trim the excess, crimp the edge and cut two small vents in the middle. Brush the lid with the remaining egg. Finally, bake for 35–40 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents. Rest for 10 minutes before serving so the gravy stays on the plate when you lift the first slice.