One of the meats I most commonly buy is mince (ground beef) because it’s always in the store, at a reliable price, and there’s so much you can do with it. I often get stuck into making the same ten meals over and over again until we get sick of them, so lately I’ve been trying some new recipes, and this one was amazing.

I’ve had so many delicious meat pies and I wanted to try making my own someday but was a little nervous to take on such an amazing food. I get a little discouraged when my food doesn’t turn out well on the first try.

But the other day I just decided I’d give it a try. I found some recipes that were full of vegetables and looked really complicated but let’s be honest I just wanted a good mince and cheese pie. After looking at a few recipes, I found this one from Food52.

Click here for the meat pies recipe!

I am sooo happy with how these turned out! They were fantastic. They take some time but the actual work isn’t very complicated. I made my own pastry because I didn’t want to go to the store and buy some, but feel free to use pre-made to make it a little easier!

For the pastry I used this recipe from Jared’s and my favorite (minus the swearing), Gordon Ramsay.

Buttery, flaky crust, and gooey, cheesy, flavorful filling… these were perfect. My born-and-bred Kiwi, Jared, whole-heartedly approved!

I didn’t have Worcestershire sauce, although I really need to get some because I see lots of recipes that call for it and I always leave it out. However, I really wanted these pies to be great. So I didn’t feel like I could leave it out entirely, and I found a recipe for a substitute online. I’ll share the substitute here in case you’re out too and don’t want to run to the store!
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce = 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, and a dash of hot sauce.
I have no clue what Worcestershire sauce is supposed to taste like, absolutely no clue, but the pies turned out amazing so it must have worked.

I’m currently working three days a week, but on the days I’m home I love to bake or cook, and I thoroughly enjoyed making these! I was sooo tired because Jared forgot his lunch but he had the car, so I walked to his work to take it to him (because I love him and I wanted to see him; he didn’t make me! He would have been fine without it, but I insisted). Then on the way back I stopped at Spotlight to get more yarn and knitting needles, and at a shop to get some onions, beef stock, and hot sauce (I looked for Worcestershire sauce but they didn’t have it) for these pies. Once I got home, I set straight to work making these pies and during the waiting times I did laundry, packed Jared’s rugby bag, washed the dishes like three times, tidied up, and began knitting. By the time Jared got home I was soooo tired but he was refereeing a rugby game in the evening and I really wanted to go with him, since it’s been ages since I was at a game with him. I slept So. Well. That night. I was so stinking tired.

I’m working on knitting some soft toys for our little kiwi, so once I’m happy with them I’ll take some photos and share the pattern here! I realise basically none of what I’m sharing with you is original… I don’t come up with my own recipes, or patterns… but I hope that you enjoy nonetheless! It can be overwhelming to try and find a recipe, pattern, product, etc. when there are so many options so I hope that my recommendations can help!

And just a little sneak peek of my knitting project…

The bear on the right was my first attempt. The limbs are not sewed very evenly, and you can see the stuffing through the head! Yikes! I got some smaller needles and thinner yarn and ended up with a tiny bear… so I’m going to keep trying and once I get a good sized bear that doesn’t show stuffing, I’ll share the pattern and my tips!