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Chicken pot pie
A perfect family dish, this classic recipe serves six. The chicken is poached in stock until meltingly tender, before the stock is thickened to make the sauce. You can use any vegetables which are in season, or use frozen veg instead. There’s no need to make your own shortcrust pastry either, if pastry-making is not your thing.
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Italian ham and cheese pie
Two sheets of puff pastry encase a tomato, ham and cheese filling in this Tuscan pie, which is traditionally served at breakfast. Though it makes a perfect lunch with a simple green salad. It’s very easy to make, on the table in just over an hour. You can serve it hot or at room temperature, but the melting cheese makes it hard to resist for long.
Chicken and wild mushroom pie
If you’re on the lookout for a really comforting pie, this one will fit the bill. You can use any wild mushrooms, or substitute with a mixture of cultivated and dried wild mushrooms. The cooked chicken and mushrooms are in a rich white wine and creamy sauce, with some fresh tarragon, which works perfectly. The pie is topped with golden, buttery puff pastry.
Ham and apple pie
You’ll need cooking apples for this recipe, so they collapse into a tart, fluffy purée. Puff pastry encases a creamy béchamel sauce, with the apples, cooked ham and Cheddar cheese. It’s very moreish, so one slice may not be enough. Just serve with greens or a salad.
Mushroom and cheese pie
In Scandinavia, this pie is served at parties and for Christmas, but it’s wonderful at any time of year. You can serve it cold, too, but just sauté then add the mushrooms before serving. The recipe uses chanterelle mushrooms, which you can replace with small button mushrooms. Definitely a dish for cheese-lovers everywhere.
Christmas leftover tart
This vegetarian pie is a great use-up for any vegetables you have left from a holiday roast. Using ready-made pastry, you simply pour a creamy egg custard over the vegetables, adding any cheese you want to use up from the fridge. The recipe suggests using Cheddar, but any blue cheese, soft cheese or goats’ cheese would do, or a combination of all three.
Shepherd’s pie
A great British classic, shepherd’s pie is perfect for a winter’s day. It’s simply browned ground lamb, cooked with onions, carrots and mushrooms, with beef stock and a touch of Worcestershire sauce. The sauce is lightly thickened, then topped with creamy mashed potato and baked until browned and bubbling.
Turkey and ham Christmas pie
A raised pie is a British classic, traditionally served at Christmas. It makes a great centerpiece for table, and is far easier to create than you would imagine. The pastry is a hot water crust, which is very forgiving and easy to work with. This recipe is made using Christmas leftovers – turkey, ham, chestnuts and cranberries – but it’s worth making even if you don’t have the leftovers to hand!
Beef and cheese pie
Here’s a beef pie with a difference! Beef is slow-cooked in stock and ale (you do need to marinate the beef overnight), then slices of Cheddar cheese are laid over the beef in a pie dish, which is then topped with a sour cream pastry. The cheese melts into the pastry, adding a wonderful savory layer.
Tomato tart with goats’ cheese
While this colorful Mediterranean dish has warm days written all over it, there’s nothing stopping you from making it in fall and winter for a fresh-tasting lunch. The base is covered with a thick tomato and garlic sauce. It’s then topped with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula and goats’ cheese before being flashed in the oven to lightly melt the cheese. If goats’ cheese isn’t your thing, it works perfectly with feta.
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Picnic pies
Despite their name, these cute little pies aren’t just for picnics! They would be perfect for a packed lunch or to serve with drinks over the festive season. You just need a muffin tin to bake them in. They are filled with chicken, dried apricots, pistachio nuts, herbs and spices, and served cold.
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Steak and ale pie
A very British pie! Meltingly tender braising beef, slow-cooked in beer, with smoked bacon and mushrooms, topped with a puff pastry lid. You end up with a rich, thick, super-tasty gravy. It’s great served with green vegetables and creamy mashed potato.
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Key lime pie
With the mouthwatering zing of key limes, this pie, which serves eight, is a perfect finale to any festive meal. The base is made from ginger biscuits, while the filling is simply egg yolks, condensed milk and lime juice and zest. Our recipe uses the egg whites to make a meringue topping, but you could just serve the pie with sour cream or crème fraîche.
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Pecan pie
A gorgeous pecan pie on the table means the holidays are really here. It’s a straightforward pie to make – just allow a few hours for it to cool down fully so the filling is set. Our recipe has a pastry made with spelt flour, but just use all-purpose flour if you prefer. Pecan pie is always very sweet, as it’s loaded with syrup, so try serving it with crème fraîche to counteract the sweetness.
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Sweet potato pies with marshmallow topping
These gorgeous pies take a bit of effort to make, but they are so worth it. The filling is based on baked sweet potatoes, to which you add condensed milk, sugar, eggs and spices, so a little like a pumpkin pie filling. You bake the pies until set, while you prepare a homemade marshmallow topping, which is drizzled with golden syrup. You can buy shortcrust pastry if you don’t want to make your own.
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Lime cracker pie
This ice box pie is a clever twist on a key lime pie, with no cooking required. The biscuit crust is made from crackers, then layered up with a condensed milk, cream and lime filling. It’s best to make it the day before eating, so all the zesty lime flavor really comes through. Best of all, it will be ready in just 15 minutes.
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Grapefruit meringue pie
This gorgeous twist on a lemon meringue will certainly have everyone coming back for second helpings. Ruby grapefruit gives it a glorious color, as well as flavor. It’s best made on the day you want to eat it, so the pastry remains crisp, though it will keep in the fridge without the meringue topping for a day or two.
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Chocolate ganache tart
This Greek recipe has a base of cookie dough, which is drenched in a honey syrup, then filled with a dark chocolate cream. It takes a bit of effort, but it’s well worth it. It’s covered with crushed walnuts, then served with a hazelnut ice cream, but you can just buy your favorite ice cream to go with it. Coffee flavor would be perfect.
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Apple, plum and cinnamon skillet pie
Everyone’s favorite apple pie is given a new twist with plums, cinnamon, honey and vanilla, topped with a lattice pastry top. Serve with pouring cream or a rich, vanilla custard.
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Rosemary banoffee pie
This firm family favorite has been jazzed up with fresh rosemary added to the caramel layer. It’s an easy pie to make, but allow time for the crust, then the caramel, to chill and set in the fridge, before adding a layer of whipping cream and sliced bananas.
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Mince pie streusel tart
A different twist on a mince pie, this tart is filled with Christmas mincemeat then covered in a crunchy streusel topping, flavored with the zest of a satsuma (or orange, if you like). Serve it just warm, with plenty of whipping cream. To make it more festive, add a splash of rum or brandy to the cream before whipping.
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Mile-high lemon meringue pie
If you’re searching for a dessert with instant wow factor, here it is. An almond pastry base is topped with a buttery lemon custard, then covered with a huge dome of meringue. You will need a cook’s blow torch to caramelize the meringue. If you don’t have one, bake it in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes until browned.
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French lemon cream tart
This gorgeous tart takes a bit of effort, but it would make a perfect and refreshing dessert after a big meal. The filling is almost like a zesty lemon curd, which would also be great on a meringue. You can prepare both the filling and the pastry ahead of time, then simply assemble the pie before serving.
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Blueberry tart with rye
A blueberry pie with a Scandinavian twist is definitely one to try. The rye flour in the pastry adds a hint of nuttiness. The sour cream filling is topped with the blueberries before baking until set. It doesn’t need any accompaniment and makes a simple dessert for six.
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Lemon and lime tart
A rich, citrus custard is poured into a baked pastry shell, before being cooked in a low oven until set. Our recipe uses a chocolate pastry, but if you don’t want to make pastry, just buy some shortcrust instead. It’s always a popular dessert, and one worth mastering. Lovely served with raspberries, when they are in season.
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Apricot, honey and pistachio tart
Pretty as a picture, this pie has a Middle Eastern feel. Buttery filo pastry on the outside, with a pistachio cream on the inside, topped with apricots then drizzled with honey once it’s baked. The recipe uses fresh apricots, but canned apricots in juice are fine when the fruit is out of season.
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Pumpkin pie
The scent in your kitchen of the traditional spices for pumpkin pie – cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger – really means the holiday season is upon us. You can buy pumpkin purée if you don’t want to make your own. The pie crust is easy to make, but again, use store-bought shortcrust pastry if you like. Instead of serving it with whipping cream, try a salted caramel sauce, which brings out the sweetness of the pie.
Nothing brings people together like a great pie. At any time of year, pies are perfect for sharing with family and friends. They are easy to make and most of the preparation can be done in advance. From simple midweek meals to festive showstoppers and glamorous desserts, there’s sure to be a pie here for everyone.
