The Albion's Steak & Ale Pie Recipe

Kim Batty
24 hours ago
4 min read

Introduction by Kim Batty

Photos by Steve Painter

If you have a pub in Hastings, you need to make it work in the winter

Wise words from Bob of The Albion Inn. I have to say, so I will, I love a pub in winter; while the weather is howling outside, in front of the fire, ordering Bacardi Breezers and missing your pilates class. My auto-correct changed that to pirates – oh if only it knew... maybe it does?

But he’s got a point. I have found myself needlessly polishing a pump, not a euphemism, working in a pub in Hastings on a few occasions, wondering if it takes more effort to look like you’re cleaning a shelf than actually cleaning it. Yes, I’ve said it out loud, everybody. Don’t worry, I didn’t do that when I worked at The Albion, she lies.

Let's move on to the pie-maker, Bella. She’s great. She’s already made close to 200,000 pies and she’s still cool as a cucumber. She used to work in a school kitchen and now she’s making pies and pasties for us losers. She is unassuming and a whizz – my favourite combination. And she commands a pie topper that looks like a badge maker was used to construct it.

The pies are delicious and I’m not just saying that because I got a free one. Freeness doesn’t equal deliciousness, as I discovered from an offering from an activist dumpster-diver in California.

So lets talk branding, guys. Draw near on your space hoppers. Albion pies is a .com and a

.co.uk. It’s almost as if Bob knows what he’s doing. There’s something in pies and Albion that is the taming of the football hooligan. Like taking ownership of something derogatory and making it good. Like goths and punks do.

The Albion pie factory is a hive of industry, (they are the only hives you get other than the bee ones) blap, blap, blapping them out to Hastings football ground, Beak and Tail and to you lot who ate 20,000 ʽpie roastʼ meals last year, you filthy animals. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Yes, a ʽpie roastʼ is a pie with all the trimmings and gravy. You bad, bad people.

Now in true generosity of spirit The Albion have given you the golden ticket recipe to their steak and (Harvey’s) ale pie. So we can all pretend we’re going to make it instead of just going and getting one. We love a bit of panto. If you purchase one, it comes in a beautiful box – that sold it to me there and then. Like a present that’s your scran. Self-care people.

Do not believe the ghosts of Christmas past that told you the pastie was invented in Sussex (Bob T), but do listen to the angel Batty who discovered whilst doing a cryptic crossword in Egypt that Banoffee pie was invented in the small village of Jevington, East Sussex, England, in 1971. That ones for you Bob ;-)

BEEF, BACON & ALE PIE FILLING

INGREDIENTS

makes 4 individual / 1 family-sized pie

100g smoked lardons
800g stewing beef
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp English mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 onion – diced
1 carrot – diced
1 celery stick – diced
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp plain flour
750mls beef stock
250mls dark Harveys ale
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves

METHOD

Preheat oven to 160°C

Fry bacon lardons in a hob-to-oven casserole dish and then remove from pan.

Cook onions in residual bacon fat (adding oil if necessary) and cook for around 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add garlic, celery and carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat.

Remove and set aside with the bacon lardons.

Add beef with a little oil to brown.

Add flour to coat the beef before adding all other ingredients.

Finish with the thyme sprigs and bay leaves laid on top.

Bring up to a simmer and then place in a preheated oven for 2 hours.

Remove from oven, remove thyme and bay leaves.

Stir and check meat for tenderness.

SHORTCRUST PASTRY

INGREDIENTS

100g lard
100g butter
400g plain flour
A pinch of salt
125mls water

METHOD

In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour and grate the lard and butter on to it. Add the salt and rub into a fine crumb, pour in the water and mix together until it forms a smooth dough (takes around 1 minute of kneading). Cover with cling-film and chill in a refrigerator for 10 mins.

Once rested, divide the pastry into four 100g balls for the base and four 70g balls for the lid.

Roll out the 100g balls to about 3mm thick and place into your greased pie dishes, ensuring pastry is pressed into the sides and there is an overhang of around 2cm, set aside. Now take your 70g balls and roll to about 3mm thick and roughly the same size as your pie dishes.

Place your pie filling into your bases, brush the sides with beaten egg then top with the rolled pastry lid. Press around the edges to seal, crimp and trim any excess. Brush the top with beaten egg and pierce a small hole in the top to allow the filling to breathe.

Cook in a preheated oven for 20/25 minutes until golden brown and piping hot throughout.