The tent is up, ovens pre-heated and recipes ready. With The Great British Bake Off returning to our screens and the shooting season getting underway, no country cook should be without The Great British Bake Off rasied game pie recipe. It makes an impressive centrepiece for an autumnal supper party.

For more pie recipes, try our recipe for pigeon pie or, if you think you can stomach it, rook pie – the real “four-and-twenty black birds baked in a pie”.

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF RAISED GAME PIE

Taken from The Great British Bake Off: Celebrations, Hodder & Stoughton, £20

Serves 12

For the filling

• 700g boneless mixed game meat, diced
• 200g rindless back bacon, diced
• 200g minced pork belly, unsmoked
• 2 banana shallots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp madeira
• 1/2 tsp ground mace
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the pastry

• 450g plain flour
• 100g strong white bread flour
• 75g unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
• 200ml water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 100g lard
• 1 egg yolk, beaten to glaze
• 1 large, oval raised/game pie mould or a 20cm round springclip tin, 7cm deep, greased with lard; a 2.5cm oak-leaf cutter or leaf-shaped cutter; a baking sheet

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF RAISED GAME PIE: MAKING THE FILLING AND PASTRY

To make The Great British Bake Off raised game pie, first make the filling and put all the ingredients into a large bowl. Next add a little salt and pepper and then mix everything together with your hands until thoroughly combined. Take a teaspoon of the mixture, shape it into a small “burger” and fry it for a minute or so on each side until cooked through, then taste and add more seasoning to the filling mixture, if necessary. Cover and chill while you make the pastry.

Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Combine both flours and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in. Pour the water into a small pan and add the salt and lard. Heat gently until the lard has melted and then bring to the boil. Pour the hot mixture onto the flour and quickly mix everything together with a wooden spoon to make a dough. As soon as the dough is cool enough to handle, tip it out onto a floured worktop and knead it just until smooth and even.

This pastry becomes crumbly as it cools, so you need to work quickly. Cut off a third of the pastry and wrap it tightly in clingfilm. Roll out the remaining pastry to an oval or disc large enough to line your tin. Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and press it onto the base and side, smoothing out wrinkles. Leave excess pastry hanging over the rim. Check there are no cracks or holes – if there are, press together or patch with small scraps.

Roll out the remaining pastry to an oval or disc, slightly larger than the top of your tin, to form the lid. Cover with clingfilm and leave on the worktop for now.

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF RASIED GAME PIE: DECORATION AND SERVING

Spoon the filling into the pastry-lined tin and press it down well, making sure the surface is level. Brush the edge of the pastry case with beaten egg yolk, then lay the pastry lid on top. Press the edges of the case and lid together firmly to seal. Trim off the excess pastry and crimp or flute the edge neatly. Make a hole in the centre of the lid to allow steam to escape during baking.

Gather up the pastry trimmings and roll them out again. Stamp out 20 leaves with the shaped cutter. Attach these to the pastry lid, using a dab of beaten egg yolk as glue. Brush the lid all over with beaten egg yolk to glaze.

Set the tin on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/Gas Mark 3 and bake the pie for a further 1¾ hours until the pastry is a rich golden brown.

Leave The Great British Bake Off raised game pie in its tin until cold before unmoulding. Serve at room temperature on a rimmed plate to catch any juices. Store any leftovers,  wrapped, in fridge.