Home made meals are the best, especially this time of the year. Its dark and cold when you sit down for dinner, so obviously you need something that will warm you up and give you comfort. December is all about comfort food - and making every effort to lose any attempt at the summer body.

This week I was set the task of making a chicken and ham pie for our dinner, something that I've never done before. It's always been my mum's speciality, but is something I've always wanted to try. Making something just like my mum has to be the ultimate goal. Student living and cooking just isn't the same as a proper home cooked meal, that is filled with veg and goodness.

This chicken pie was surprisingly easy to make - it becomes a check list of all the stages you need to tick off, then put all together. And what's great is that you can throw in as much veg as you want, making it perfect to fill you with lots of vitamins since we hardly see the sun this time of the year.

Ingredients
Chicken
Ham
Broccoli
Leek
Carrots
Puff Pastry
Cheddar Cheese
Flour
Milk
Butter

How to make

For the pie

1. Shred pre-cooked chicken and pre cooked ham and place in a dish.
2. Cut up your chosen vegetables. Here I've used a leek, some carrots and broccoli, but you could also add peas, sweet corn, mushrooms etc. Before adding veg to the dish pre-cook them (Eg boil the carrots and broccoli or pan fry the mushrooms) then add to the dish.
3. Add the cheese sauce over the the filling, making sure the whole dish is covered in a thin layer of sauce.
4. Roll out puff pastry and either cut out shapes to layer over the filling or lay over the dish in one big layer. (I chose to make mine Christmas tree shaped so that it was a festive chicken pie.)
5. Cook for 30 minutes in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
6. Serve! You can add sides of whatever you like, such as potatoes, green beans, or even some tiger loaf, or just eat it on its own and enjoy all the veg that fills it!

For a cheesy sauce

1. Melt a nob of butter in a pan on a low heat.
2. Mix in a tablespoon of flour till it becomes a paste.
3. Take the pan off the heat, and slowly add in small amounts of milk, mixing quickly until all the lumps have gone.
4. Add grated cheese into the sauce until it melts.



Super easy and super tasty. It's one of the best meals to have this time of the year, to fill you up and provide that winter comfort that's needed throughout a stressful December.

Why not have some home made mince pies as the desert? Here's how I make my mince pies!

Love,
Emily
xxx

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