Ingredients - makes 12
8fl oz (225ml) boiling water | 1 tablespoon icing sugar |
3oz (75g) butter | 1lb (450g) small green gooseberries |
3oz (75g lard) | 2oz (50g) caster sugar |
1lb (450g) plain flour |
* If you don’t like your fruit pies too sharp, you may want to add more sugar.
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Grease a 12 hole muffin tin.
- Mix the boiling water, lard and butter together, stirring until the fats have melted.
- Sift the flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl and pour in the liquid.
- Mix to a pliable dough and knead for a minute. Set to one side and allow to cool slightly.
- Roll out the pastry on a floured board and cut out 12 x 4inch (10cm) rounds. Mould them into the muffin tin.
- Fill with the gooseberries and sprinkle the sugar over the fruit. Moisten the edge of the pastry with water.
- Cut out 12 x 2½inch (6cm) pastry rounds and place on top of the fruit filling.
- Pinch the edge of the pastry together to form a seal and make a small vent hole in the top with a sharp knifepoint.
- Bake for 25—30mins until golden brown.
These are traditionally eaten on their own. But you can serve warm or cold with custard, ice-cream or cream. They are extremely juicy, so don’t bite into them when you are wearing your best clothes!