Mushroom, Potato & Watercress Pie (vegan)

Ingredients

Serves 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
500g block shortcrust pastry (suitable for vegans - we used Jus-Rol)
250g flat mushrooms or Portobello mushrooms, thickly sliced
100g button mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 leeks, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsps dried thyme
1 x 85g bag watercress
2 large potatoes, cut into chunks (skins can be left on or not as preferred)
4 tbsp rapeseed or other vegetable oil
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 heaped tsp yeast extract
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsps vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 tbsp plain flour (or cornflour)
300ml of hot water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the potatoes into a pan of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and set aside.
2. Heat the rapeseed oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan or wok. Add in the onions and carrots along with a good pinch of salt and fry for five minutes. Then add the leeks and mushrooms and continue to cook for a further 6-8 minutes, or until all the veg is soft. While the veg cooks combine the vegetable stock, water, soy sauce, yeast extract and Worcestershire sauce (if using) in a jug. Whisk to ensure that the veg stock is dissolved.
3. Stir the plain flour, garlic and thyme into the vegetable mix and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, then stir in enough of the liquid so that a thick sauce is created. Bring to a simmer then stir in the watercress and remove from the heat. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper as needed. Pour into a large pie dish.
4. Roll out the shortcrust pastry to roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Cover the pie dish completely with the pastry then trim carefully. Crimp the edges with a fork and make a few small cuts in the centre to allow steam to escape while cooking.
5. Place the pie into the centre of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for five minutes before serving.

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