Following on from the previous blogpost, I wanted to introduce you to the main course for Friday’s Digital Dinner Party, which will see me joined by historian Dr Rachel Rich. Over a ‘pie fit for a king’, Rachel and I will discuss the royal recipes of George III and the history of British food - touching on recipes, spices and the impact of the British Empire.

The recipe below has been adapted by Rachel from an 18th century transcript. Over dinner we’ll be reporting on the recipe and tucking in to our homemade attempts. For anyone who would like to attempt their own Raised Beefsteak Pie, Rachel’s video of the process can be viewed here while the live event can be joined via Zoom Webinar on Friday 19 June at 6.30pm.

Raised Beefsteak Pie

Equipment:
A springform cake tin; a rolling pin.

Ingredients:
For the crust:
575g Plain flour (1.27 lb)
358ml Water (0.63 pints)
54g Butter (1.9 oz)
54g Suet (1.9 oz)

For the filling:
1kg Tender, fat beef, thinly sliced.
Mixed spices (typically pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves.)
Salt
Some thick gravy
1tsp White wine vinegar

Instructions:

First, get all the pie filling ingredients ready: the beef needs to be thinly sliced, and tenderised (in the eighteenth century they used a rolling pin for this).
Season the beef with your salt and mixed spices. Then take two slices of beef at a time and roll them together, ready to place in the pie.
To make the crust: boil your water in a saucepan, and melt the butter and the suet into it.
Pour the water mixture into the flour, bit by bit, while stirring with a wooden spoon (or an electric mixer if you prefer). You will need to finish by kneading the crust by hand.
Cut off about 1/3 of the crust, for the lid. Wrap it up and keep it warm.
Roll out the rest of the crust, and place it in the bottom of the tin; use your hands to work it up gradually, so that it reaches the top of the pie tin.
Now place your rolled pieces of beef in the tin; the recipe advises to ‘pack them neatly in the dish’ but not to ‘press them hard’.
Add the gravy, and the white wine vinegar.
Roll out the remaining pastry and close up your pie, pinching it all around.
Make a hole in the middle, using a wooden spoon, for steam to escape (the recipe also recommends making some party leaves as decoration, but this is totally optional)
Bake for two hours, at 160 degrees, in a fan assisted oven (or adjust accordingly)

The Digital Dinner Party
Part of the British Academy Virtual Summer Showcase.
British Academy Zoom Webinar | Online
Friday 19 June 2020 | 6.30 - 7.30 pm