I'm sure lots of you will remember Plate Pies. Years ago everybody used to make and eat plate pies and they're so easy, cheap to produce and look great! So here's a favourite recipe from my old nan, hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

What is a Plate Pie?

A Plate Pie is quite simply, a pie made on a large dinner plate. The plate needs to be ovenproof. If you've got any of those old fashioned enamel camping plates, they're great (you can get these from camping shops, charity shops, or even online on ebay or Amazon).

The plate pie can be as big or as small as you want, so you can do this with one large plate (this is the usual method), or you can use individual side plates or even saucers!

• 8oz plain flour
• 2oz lard
• Pinch of salt
• Cold water to bind

Place the flour, salt and lard into a bowl and rub them together until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add water slowly and mix it in until it binds together.

Place the pastry in the fridge while you make the filling. Pastry comes out best if it's rested for awhile in a cold place.

(Tip: If you've got a food processor, you can cheat and use that to make the pastry.)

Roll out the pastry and cut it to size, using the plate/s that you'll be cooking with - don't forget to cut the pastry larger than the plate because the base will be concave and the top will be rounded.

•  1 tin of corned beef, cut into slices/cubes or just mashed down
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, diced or sliced, just cut them small!
• 1 small egg, this is to bind so can be left out if you've not got one (set a tiny amount aside for brushing the top of the pastry)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce if you have it

1.  Mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl.
2. It's up to you if you want a pastry base to your plate pie, some people will be wanting pastry top and bottom, others will just want a top pastry. If you're putting pastry on the bottom, then grease the plate so your pie doesn't stick.
3. Spoon the filling into the plate/pastry base and smooth it over, a nice rounded top will look best.
4. If you've used a pastry base, then brush milk or milk/egg or egg round the edges of the pastry base. Place a pastry lid on top. Press round the sides to seal the pie. You might like to go round the edges, pressing a fork round the outside to make it look prettier.
5. Brush the top of the pie with the leftover egg if you used an egg, or milk if you have it. Prick the top a couple of times to help the pie vent, perhaps even cut out a nice diamond shape as a decoration for the top/centre....
6. Bake in the middle of an oven pre-heated to 200 degrees Centigrade (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30-35 minutes until the top's a lovely brown. Serve immediately.

Serve with fresh vegetables of your choice and perhaps a side portion of potatoes, or, my personal favourite, some mashed potatoes and baked beans!

Bon appetite!