Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.

Using a knife, cut the vegetable shortening into small chunks into the bowl. Rub it loosely into the flour; you want to see chunks of shortening throughout, you don’t want to work it into breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the mixture and pour in the ice cold water. Mix it for a minute or two until you have a rough dough.

Cover your pastry and refrigerate it for 1 hour.

Once your pastry has chilled, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it in one direction until it is a rectangular shape, roughly 20 x 50 cm (8" x 20").

Note: Don’t overwork the dough, you want to have a marble effect with visible streaks of the vegetable shortening running through it.

Position the dough rectangle in a portrait orientation in front of you.

Imagine the rectangle in thirds; fold the top third down to centre, then fold the bottom third up over it. Please see the recipe video for a visual demonstration.

Turn the dough a quarter turn to the left.

Roll it out to around three times its length and then fold it again as you did before - the top third over to the centre and then the bottom third up over it.

Cover the dough and place it back into the refrigerator for 1.5 hours.

Note: The chilling time is important because it prevents the pastry from becoming too greasy and/or tough, so don't be tempted to shorten or skip these steps.

Whilst your dough is chilling, make the gravy. Combine the gravy ingredients into a small saucepan and warm until it has reduced and become thick, whisking constantly.

Once it has thickened, take your gravy off of the heat and leave to cool. As it cools it will develop a jelly-like consistency which will make it easier to add to your pasties.

Preheat your oven to 190°C fan (210°C conventional / 425°F / gas mark 7).

Once your pastry has finished chilling for the final time, roll it out, fold it and turn it as you did before and then roll it to around 1cm (½") thick and use a small side plate (approx 18 cm / 7") as a guide to cut out four circles. If you want monster pasties, use a dinner plate (approx 25 cm / 10") to cut out 2 large circles.

Being careful not to overfill your pasties, add your mixed vegetables on one half of each circle, add three teaspoons of the cold gravy over the top of the vegetables (evenly spaced) and 2 teaspoons of dairy free margarine per pasty. Add six teaspoons of the gravy if you're making monster pasties.

Brush a little water or dairy free milk around the edges of the pastry and fold it over. Crimp the edges by folding them over slightly. Please see the recipe video for a demonstration.

Cut three air holes in the top of each pasty and brush the top with the dairy free milk.

Put your pasties straight into the hot oven and cook for 40-50 minutes depending on the size you’ve decided to make. They should be ready when they are golden all over, including the base. Be careful - they'll be very hot inside!