Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food Read Free

cheese – simple, comforting flavours you’d expect from a local bar. For a more intense flavour, use dripping from the weekend roast in place of butter. We also use gutsy, mature cheese, such as Montgomery or Westcombe cheddar from Somerset.
    Peel and thinly slice the potatoes and onions, preferably using a mandoline for the potatoes. Coarsely grate the cheese and set aside.
    Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Heat the olive oil in a fairly small, ovenproof frying pan, about 20cm in diameter. Add the onions and sweat, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes until just softened. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
    Arrange a layer of potatoes over the base of the pan. Brush with some melted butter and season lightly with salt and pepper, then scatter over a thin layer of onions and cheese. Repeat layering the ingredients, making sure that you end up with a layer of cheese-topped potatoes.
    Put the pan over a medium-high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom layer of potatoes is golden brown. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small, sharp knife. The cheese topping should be golden; if not, increase the heat to 220°C/Gas 7 and bake for an extra 5 minutes or so.
    Leave the pan haggerty to cool slightly for 5 minutes or so. Carefully slide it onto a warm plate, cut into slices and serve.
Old-fashioned pork pies
MAKES 8
HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY
    250g plain flour
    ½ tsp fine sea salt
    1 large egg
    50g unsalted butter
    50g lard
    85ml water
    1 medium egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water, to glaze
FILLING
    400g minced pork (roughly equal quantities of belly and shoulder meat)
    250g sausagemeat
    1 tbsp chopped parsley
    1 tbsp chopped sage finely grated zest of 1 lemon
    5 juniper berries, ground with a pinch of salt
    pinch of allspice
    sea salt and black pepper
    Enjoy these adorable little pies warm or cold with piccalilli or pickled onions and a pint of ale.
    To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Crack the egg into the well and sprinkle over some of the flour. Put the butter, lard and water into a small pan and heat gently until melted, then bring to the boil. Immediately pour around the edge of the flour and quickly stir together, using a butter knife, to combine. Knead the dough lightly until smooth; it will be quite soft at this stage. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour until firm.
    Meanwhile, for the filling, mix all the ingredients together, seasoning well. Divide into 8 portions, about 80g each, and roll into balls. Cut off one-third of the pastry for the pie lids, re-wrap and chill. Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a saucer, about 11cm in diameter, as a template, cut out 8 circles. Roll out the reserved pastry to the same thickness and cut out 7cm rounds for the lids, using a pastry cutter.
    To assemble each pie, place a stuffing ball in the middle of a pastry base and flatten it slightly to get a flat base and straighter sides. Put a pastry lid on top. Brush the pastry base border with egg glaze, then draw up it up around the filling to meet the lid. Curl the edge of the lid up to meet the top inside edge of the pie case and pinch together to seal. Repeat with the other pies, then crimp the edges. Chill until firm.
    Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Place the pies on a baking sheet and make a hole in the centre of each lid with a skewer. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the setting to 170°C/Gas 3. Brush the pies evenly with egg glaze and bake for a further 10 minutes until cooked. To test, insert a skewer into the centre of a pie for a few seconds; it should feel hot to the touch as you remove it. Transfer the pies to a wire rack to cool.
Homemade crisps
SERVES 4
    700g waxy potatoes, such as Desirée or Charlotte
    groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
    1 tsp cayenne pepper mixed with 1 tsp sea