Serves 4.

Cold roast mutton or lamb is not usually very inspiring, but these tasty pies turn a small amount of lamb into a midweek meal for four. If you want to try this recipe, serve roast lamb or boiled mutton with onion sauce at the weekend. Make twice as much sauce as you need and put some aside to make these pies. Onion sauce is especially good to serve with lamb in the winter months when there is no fresh mint about.

3/4 oz (19g) butter

4 oz (l00 g) onions, chopped

3/4 oz (19g) plain flour

1/4 pt (150ml) milk

1 chicken bouillon cube

2-3 tbsp gravy or meat jelly

6 oz (175g) cooked lamb or mutton, diced

Salt and pepper

8 oz (225g) plain flour

2 oz (50g) margarine

2 oz (50g) lard

About 3 tbsp cold water

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the onions and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until they are soft but not brown.

2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk, crumbled bouillon cube and gravy or meat jelly and simmer for 2 minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the heat, add the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Allow to become quite cold.

1. Put the flour in a bowl, cut the margarine and lard into small pieces and rub into the flour with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Add sufficient cold water to mix to a firm dough.

3. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C) mark 6.

5. Roll out two thirds of the pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 circles, each measuring 5 in. (12.5cm) in diameter. Use these to line 4 foil dishes or pie tins.

6. Divide the filling equally between the pastry cases and brush the edges of the pastry with milk.

7. Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 circles.

8. Cover the pies with these pastry lids and seal the edges firmly with the prongs of a fork. Make a small slit in the centre of each pie, brush the tops with a little milk and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.