Lancashire Butter Pie - A Traditional Recipe With Potato And Onion Filling (2024)

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Lancashire butter pie is a new discovery I've made. Like any British person, I do enjoy making good old pie, especially mini British beef and mushroom pies.

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The general problem when it comes to preparing delicious British pies is making the pastry. Making the pastry is an art and requires a lot of patience and practise.

So much so, I recently came away defeated and can honestly say that making my own pastry is my Achilles' heel in the kitchen. Luckily, I did find my way with completing this Lancashire butter pie with some store-bought pastry. Phew!

In the end, I managed to create an excellent version of the Lancashire butter pie. Being another one of my delicious hearty meals for this cold weather, it is an excellent dinner if you’ve got a hungry family.

It’s easy, cheap, and filling. Plus, it stores so well, it can keep for days in the fridge, if it lasts that long. Best served with a side salad or some roasted vegetables.

By the way, if you love potatoes, you simply must try boulangere potatoes.

lancashire butter pie with original cottages

While I was making the Lancashire butter pie I thought about where I’d spend my holidays this year. Do any of you have any special plans for Christmas or New Year’s Eve?

I recently stumbled upon Original Cottages and I seem to have found some inspiration, wink wink. Suddenly, I imagined making pies in a wonderful cottage by a fireplace, with a window overlooking the country side.

Hidden from all the city stress and filled with special family moments, passing your holidays can’t be more relaxing.

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Wouldn’t it be great to take the edge off in a cosy cottage? You too can find the perfect retreat. The best part is, that you can find a cottage that suits you perfectly in many parts of the UK.

You can discover the beautiful coastline with Coastal Holiday Cottages. Or, you can bring your entire family with you, even your pooch.

Original Cottages offers lots of dog-friendly cottages, which is great because your pet can enjoy the countryside as well. Lastly, just because you stay in a cottage doesn’t mean you should be in total solitude.

You can find a lot of cottages near pubs for a great local experience. Or you can plan a romantic escape, or a memory-filled family adventure in UK’s various beautiful regions.

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about original cottages

The Original Cottage Company Ltd (TOCC) is family-owned company that started initially as Norfolk Country Cottages in 1992. They offer various types of cottages in most regions in the UK, so you can select your favourite part of the country.

Just check out all their UK Original Cottage destinations here. Surprise surprise, I have my eyes set on the destinations in Lancashire.

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For my non-English readers, this region of the ‘red roses’ is located in north-western England. Have you ever heard of the Roses Tournament?

It’s an old university competition between York (white roses) and Lancashire (red roses). This university competition is rumoured to be older than competitions between Harvard and Yale. Fancy that!

In any case, Lancashire is an absolutely gorgeous region and definitely a great place for a holiday stay with UK’S Original Cottages. For now I'll imagine being there while eating Lancashire butter pie.

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the pastry

Now, I’ve got a secret to confess. At first, I was extremely excited to make my own pastry from scratch for this Lancashire butter pie. However, Murphy’sLlaw came into play and, of course, I stuffed it up.

Making my own pastry didn’t work, so I rushed into the store to buy short crust and puff pastry. Oops! I admit, I am not the best baker in England and my pastry skills need fine tuning.

If you do have the confidence to make your own pastry, then you should blind bake the short crust first. This is done so that the crust comes together and is less likely to be flabby at the end of the cooking process.

Again, if you don’t feel like faffing with making short crust pie lining from scratch, just go for a store bought one. Next, I recommend putting the cooled down filling in next and then covering it with puff pastry.

Feel free to decorate the top of the puff pastry to your heart’s desire. As you can see, I’ve made small leaves. Don’t forget to brush the top layer of the puff pastry with egg wash for that beautiful golden colour on the Lancashire butter pie!

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filling

This traditional pie calls for potato and onion filling. It's vegetarian friendly and omnivores can have some meat on the side. The pie can easily be spruced up though.

Personally, I would add bits of bacon or smoked ham for that nice umami flavour. Also, the f you’ve got a meat lover at home, they will enjoy a bit of meat inside.

The best part about any pie is that you can tweak the filling in any way you wish. Sometimes, I like to make a ‘quiche lorraine’ type of filling with eggs, cream, tomato and bacon.

Simple and delicious. Plus, it’s a tad lighter than the potato and onion filling. Another great idea that I’ve seen from readers’ comments in the Yorkshire Pudding Wraprecipe post is including beef stew.

Why not save some leftovers and put them into a pie? Clever and sustainable at the same time.

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Sides

While your Lancashire butter pie is in the oven, you can use this time to prepare a light side dish. I recommend making something green like a side salad.

A simple green salad with some tomatoes, peppers and olive oil will. Although, I urge you to add a vinaigrette as the acidity won’t make the pie as heavy.

However, if you have more space in your oven, why not roast a couple of vegetables and serve them on the side? I’d go for roasted beetroots or even coleslaw.

If you are looking for more traditional British pies, then try this sweet one. Try my lemon chess pie recipe.

More potato recipes

  • boulangere potatoes
  • rosemary potatoes
  • parmentier potatoes

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📖 Recipe

Lancashire Butter Pie - A Traditional Recipe With Potato And Onion Filling (8)

Lancashire Butter Pie

★★★★★4.9 from 7 reviews
  • Author: Michelle Minnaar
  • Total Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
Print Recipe

Ingredients

UnitsScale

  • 320g (11oz) shortcrust pastry sheet, ready rolled
  • 320g (11oz) puff pastry sheet, ready rolled
  • 5 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
  • 100g (3oz) butter
  • 1 egg, whisked

Instructions

  1. Remove the pastries from the fridge and let them rest at room temperature.
  2. Parboil the potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes and drain.
  3. Gently fry the onions in the butter until softened then add the potato and stir.
  4. While the potato mixture is cooling down, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
  5. Lightly oil a 30cm (12in) pie dish.
  6. Line the pie dish with the shortcrust pastry and trim the edges. Line with baking parchment then pour in baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool down a bit. Remove baking beans.
  7. Adjust the oven temperature to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
  8. Fill the pie shell with the potato filling and evenly distribute the contents.
  9. Top off with the puff pastry and crimp the edges. Poke the top with a fork or knife so that air can escape during the baking process. Decorate to your heart’s content.
  10. Brush egg on top then bake for 15 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden.
  11. Remove from the oven and serve with salad.
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: English

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 554
  • Sugar: 6.2 g
  • Sodium: 166 mg
  • Fat: 22.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 78.4 g
  • Fiber: 9.3 g
  • Protein: 10.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 28 mg

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Lancashire Butter Pie - A Traditional Recipe With Potato And Onion Filling (9)

P.S. This post has been created in partnership with Original Cottages.

Lancashire Butter Pie - A Traditional Recipe With Potato And Onion Filling (2024)

FAQs

When was butter pie invented? ›

Preston Catholics created the delicacy we know today as the Butter Pie. Most pies contain potatoes and meat, the staple of the 19th Century diet and so the Catholics substituted the beef for butter, and the Butter Pie was born.

What does butter do to pies? ›

Butter plays a key role in creating the delicate flakiness of the pie crust, and only if the butter is incorporated correctly and COLD when it goes into the oven. Tip: Cut the butter into cubes and place in the freezer 10 minutes before you need to incorporate it into the dough.

What is a butter pie made of? ›

A true Lancashire delicacy, our butter pie is made in the best traditions of north west pie making. With a hearty filling of freshly peeled potatoes mixed with onions, mild cheddar cheese and rich butter. Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, this is a crowd pleaser and one of the region's best kept secrets.

What is the oldest pie in the world? ›

The Ancient Egyptians were the first to invent a dish close to what we know as a pie today. They had a honey filling covered in a crusty cake made from oats, wheat, rye or barley. A recipe for chicken pie was also discovered on a tablet carved prior to 2000 BC.

Who made the first pie recipe? ›

The history of the pie has its roots in ancient Egypt and Greece. The ancient Greeks ate pie (artocreas), though it was of the savory type with meat in an open pastry shell. The Romans may have been the first to create a pie that included a top and bottom crust.

Which butter is best for pies? ›

Cold unsalted butter – Supplies the pie crust's unbeatable flavor and flaky texture. Use unsalted butter.

Why is my butter pie crust hard? ›

Tough pie crusts are typically the result of working the dough too much (again, gluten). You don't need to make sure it's a perfectly uniform ball. “As long as the dough is mostly holding together, you don't need to spend a lot of time kneading it,” Susan Reid wrote for King Arthur Baking.

Why add butter to pie filling? ›

A: Dotting the top of a fruit pie filling with butter is an old habit but one that is called for in only about half of the pie recipes out there. Some maintain that the butter is for taste; others claim that it helps the filling set up, particularly when using flour as a thickener.

Which is better butter pie crust or shortening? ›

All things being equal,” she says, “there's more fat per ounce of shortening than butter, and because shortening has a higher melting point than butter, it's more forgiving to work with, so it might give the appearance of more tenderness.” But any pie crust should have enough fat, no matter the source, to produce a ...

Why is it called crack pie? ›

Crack Pie — the trademarked name for the chain's buttery, sugary pie — will now become Milk Bar Pie. Get the Eat Voraciously newsletter for delicious dinner inspiration, delivered straight to your inbox. The name was a reference to crack cocaine — the gag being that the pie was just as addictive as the drug.

What can you use instead of butter in pie filling? ›

WHAT ARE BUTTER ALTERNATIVES FOR BAKING?
  1. MARGARINE. Margarine is a fat that is made mostly from vegetable oil that's flavored to taste like butter. ...
  2. SHORTENING. Shortening is 100% fat, made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. ...
  3. OLIVE OIL & VEGETABLE OIL. ...
  4. COCONUT OIL. ...
  5. PUMPKIN PURÉE. ...
  6. APPLESAUCE. ...
  7. GREEK YOGURT. ...
  8. BANANAS.

What is the history of butter pie? ›

With a history as rich as its' filling, (like us!), butter pie is synonymous with Lancashire. Also known as Friday Pie, it was originally created by Catholics in Preston who did not eat meat on Fridays and chose to substitute their beef with butter.

What does butter do in pie? ›

The theory is that the fat disrupts the formation of bubbles on the surface of the viscous fruit mixture. Others claim that the butter simply enriches the flavor and texture of the pie filling.

Where did buttermilk pie originate? ›

Buttermilk pie is one of those old traditional Southern desserts that goes back through generations. Surprisingly though, it's said that buttermilk pie originates from the United Kingdom.

When was mud pie invented? ›

Mississippi mud pies may have begun in the 1970s as a variation on mud cake, a dessert which was popular in the American South during World War II. Another story says that Mississippi mud pie may also have originated from the Vicksburg-Natchez area near Jackson, Mississippi in the 1920s.

Did they have pie in the 1800s? ›

1800's A.D.

The wide variety of seasonal fruit to be found (and canned for later use, a practice that was also popular at this time) made sweet, almost candy-like pies a favorite.

When were cream pies invented? ›

The Boston Cream Pie is a timeless, culinary creation dating back to 1856. The dessert was first created and served at the grand opening of Boston's Parker House, now widely known as Omni Parker House, nestled in downtown Boston, MA.

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