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The Chicken
The Filling
The Short Crust
The Gravy
Mash Topping
Roast the Chicken
Heat the oven to 200c. Rinse the chicken and stuff the cavity with the eschalot, lemon, garlic and rosemary. Drizzle over the olive oil and season well. Roast in a roasting pan for 1 ¼ hours or until cooked through, basting occasionally with the oil and juices.
Set aside and allow to cool slightly. Remove and discard the skin. Remove all the flesh, chop coarsely and place in a large mixing bowl. Discard the ribs. Combine the bones and remaining chicken and juices and set aside to make the gravy.
For the Filling
In a fresh pan, cook off the bacon until slightly browned and set aside.
In a separate pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and sauté the onion until soft. Add the leeks and continue cooking until softened. Turn down the heat and add the garlic, cooking for a few minutes and finally add the cooked bacon. Take off the heat. Transfer to a bowl and stir through the cooked chicken flesh, parsley and mustard. Season with pepper.
In a pan, heat the butter until bubbling. Add the flour, whisking constantly. Slowly pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream, continuing to whisk until you have a thickened mixture. Add to the chicken mixture, stir through and set aside.
For the shortcrust pastry
Put the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and process, cutting the butter into the flour until you have a coarse meal. Add the cold water and process for 30 seconds until you have a soft dough. Remove the dough, shape it into a thick dough, wrap tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Bring to room temperature prior to rolling.
Fill and Bake the Pie
Heat the oven to 220c. Lightly oil your pie tin. Roll out your shortcrust pastry and line the tin. Fill with the chicken mixture. Cover the pie with more shortcrust pastry, sealing well with a fork. Trim the edges and brush all over with the egg wash. Create a small hole in pie to let the steam escape and bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
Send the kids to their rooms. Have a bottle of good red decanted. Serve the pie with the mash and plenty of gravy and enjoy.
For the gravy
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the chicken bones and juices, sautéing for a few minutes. Add the vegetables and the peppercorns, cook until softened and then cover with boiling water and add a few splashes of the Madeira. Reduce the heat, cover and cook down until you’re close to a gravy consistency. Check the seasoning, strain and set aside.
For the mashed potatoes
Heat the oven to 180c. Wash the potatoes well and spike all over with a fork. Bake on a baking tray for 1 ½ hours or until cooked through. Set aside to slightly cool. Peel by hand, removing and setting aside the flesh. Heat the butter in a saucepan and using a ricer, rice the potato flesh, adding it to the butter. Add the cream and season with salt, adding more butter or cream as need-be.