Nigel Slater. Nigey, Nigey, Nige. Nige-burger. Nige to see you, to see you Nige. King of Nigels.
I’m a big fan of Nigel Slater, marmite of the celebrity chef world. In case you were wondering.
Watching him on TV and reading his books, I slip into some sort of horizontal trance, swept along on a fluffy cloud of soft, plump words and delicate, clean dishes.
Love him or loathe him, he’s not all single ingredient recipes and stingy portions. Oh no. I decided to make his infamous chicken pie the other day, as I realised I had all of the ingredients to hand and I was in need of some emergency stodge.
This pie is great for two reasons – firstly: shop bought pastry. Happy days. Never going to argue with that. Secondly, you poach the chicken before putting it in the pie, which believe me, is a wonderful thing. It melts under the slightest pressure in your mouth, which gives you an untold glow. If you’ve given in and committed to eating some pie, you may as well go the whole hog and make it eating it as slovenly as possible too.
Please, please make this pie. It’s super cheap, super easy and the ingredients are more than likely in your house. Just go and do it please.
Here’s the recipe:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chicken_and_leek_pie_77394