The 'Anti-January' January Pie

a delicious antidote to gloomy, chilly days

Hello and happy New Year!

I can’t tell you how good it feels to settle down at my desk after scoffing down this wonderfully indulgent, very anti-January pie and being able to share this first post of 2025 with you.

As much as I love the Christmas break, it’s a delight to get back some form of routine and being able to find the time to do what I love most - Wallying about in the kitchen and hopefully creating something that you’re tempted to cook for yourself! Thank you for being here.

The reason I’ve called this a ‘very anti-January pie’ isn’t because it doesn’t suit this time of year, in fact when it comes out of the oven with a hot bubbling cheesy crust, I have to question why I’m not eating this every day.

It’s ‘anti-January’ because this is the time of year where we’re told we need to change ourselves to feel happy. Everywhere you turn there’s diet advice, gym adverts heralding NEW YEAR. NEW YOU. I turned on the radio earlier today and for the entirety of the 3 hour show, the presenter loyally (and slightly turgidly) read out texts from listeners proclaiming how many ‘steps’ they had stepped today.

Quite frankly, it’s exhausting. January is cold, grey and still dark by 4pm. We’re all broke after a little too much Christmas fun and to be honest I feel it’s high time we started listening a little more to the seasons than the flip of the calendar.

This is a time of year to lean deeply into slow, cosy days. A time to hibernate a little so that we feel well-rested for the invigorating primaveral days that are soon to come. By all means open that account on Strava and go for that run but, remember to be kind to yourself too.

And so this pie was born. With ingredients making the most of the seasons, a mashed root veg topping and filled with the magical alchemy of leeks, garlic, cream and cider. It’s deeply nourishing and really it should be called the ‘antidote to January pie’. Yes, it’s probably the dieter’s worst nightmare but tonight in Yorkshire, where we’re currently staying with friends, it’s down to -11c (12.2F) and there’s been snow on the ground for five days… Pull this dish, hot and bubbling, out of the oven and there are very few mouths that won’t be watering.

NOTES: In this version, I have used butter beans, however, it would work well with smoked haddock. If you’d rather this, simply omit the parmesan and go easy on the thyme.

RECIPE

Feeds 2 greedy people, 4 with sides - Takes just over an hour

Ingredients

For the topping

• 1 large Celeriac - Peeled and cut into cubes

• 2 Parsnips - Peeled and roughly chopped

• 100ml Double Cream

• Knob of Butter

• A little Parmesan to Grate Over the Top

• A few Thyme Sprigs

For the filling

• 4 Big Leeks - Trimmed and thinly sliced

• 3 Garlic Cloves - Peeled and chopped finely

• Knob of Butter

• Parmesan rind (ALWAYS KEEP THESE! They add so much flavour to stocks and stews)

• 200ml Cider (good quality)

• 2 Tbsp Plain Flour

• 250ml Whole Milk

• 200ml Double Cream

• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard

• 1 tsp Thyme leaves - About 3 to 4 sprigs

• 8 Leaves of Cavolo Nero - Destalked and roughly chopped

• 100g Parmesan - grated

• 1 tin of Butter Beans (Drained)

• Big Handful of Parsley - finely chopped

Method

1. Bring a pan of well-salted water to the boil and add the celeriac and parsnips. Simmer for around 15-20mins until soft and able to weald to the gentle pressure of a knife. Turn off the heat, drain in a colander and leave for around 10 minutes to allow the steam to evaporate. Return them to the pan and add the butter, salt, cream and a pinch of pepper, then mash and set aside.

2. Whilst the celeriac and parsnips are bubbling away, heat your oven to 180C and make a start on the filling. Place a large, lidded, pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. Once foaming add the leeks and a good pinch of salt. Stir, lower the heat and add the lid. Let them steam gently for around 7 minutes before adding the garlic. With the lid back on cook for another 3 minutes or so.

3. Next, add the parmesan rind and tip in the cider. Increase the heat once more and let the liquid bubble. You want it to almost fully evaporate so leave the lid off and stir regularly. Once the cider has pretty much vanished, lower the heat and sprinkle over the flour. Stir well to incorporate before tipping in the milk, double cream and thyme. Keep the heat low, gently stirring as the mixture thickens. Add the dijon mustard alongside the cavolo nero, grated parmesan and butter beans. Keep it bubbling away until it becomes thick and velvety, then chuck in the parsley.

4. Add the cheesy leek filling to your favourite pie dish and spoon over the parsnip and celeriac mash. You want to do this so it creates little gnarly peaks that’ll brown beautifully in the oven. Grate over a little more parmesan and throw a few sprigs of thyme on top then bake in the oven for around 30-35 minutes until bubbling and golden. Remove and allow to sit for around 5 minutes before serving. This will let it thicken up once again before serving. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. As it’s our first post of 2025, I’m keeping this post free for everyone. If you make it, please do let me know how you find it in the comments.

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Until next time,

Jack x