Gala Pie
A raised pork pie in hot water crust with whole eggs set in the centre; baked for 2 hours, cooled and chilled before slicing.
Photograph credit: Gala pie interior by Rodhullandemu · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
The Method for Gala Pie
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Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Mix the pork, belly, salt, pepper, mace and sage in a bowl.
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Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Melt the lard with the water until boiling, pour into the flour and mix to a dough.
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While warm, line a 20 cm loose-based tin with two thirds of the pastry. Press in half the pork, lay the eggs in a line down the centre and cover with the rest of the pork.
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Roll the remaining pastry for a lid, seal it on with beaten egg, cut a steam hole and brush with egg.
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Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160°C / 320°F and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes until the meat reaches 74°C / 165°F. Cool for 1 hour, then chill for 4 hours before slicing.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Things to Watch For
- Keep the hot water crust warm while you mould the pie.
- Use a thermometer to check the pork has reached 74°C / 165°F.
- Cool for no more than 2 hours, then chill; do not leave the pie out.
Good to Know About Gala Pie
A gala pie is built for a buffet table, a picnic or a Boxing Day spread, where a pie that cuts into pretty slices is worth the effort. It is a raised pork pie with a line of boiled eggs running through the middle, so each slice has a round of yolk in it. Build it for a crowd.
The pastry is hot water crust. Melt lard with water and salt, pour it into the flour while it is still hot, and work it quickly into a dough, because it stiffens as it cools. Keep the dough warm under a cloth while moulding the pie, or it will crack. Line a tin with most of the pastry, press in the seasoned pork, lay the peeled eggs end to end down the centre and cover with more pork.
Seal the lid, make a steam hole and bake until golden and the meat reaches 74°C / 165°F in the centre. The pie must cool, then chill for several hours before cutting. Serve it cold, with chutney and pickles.
To Go With It
Piccalilli · Pickled onions · Mustard · Green salad
Storing Leftovers
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge, wrapped. Do not freeze.
Quick Answers
How long does Gala Pie take to make?
45 minutes of preparation and 2 hours of cooking, plus 5 hours of Cooling and chilling, so allow 7 hours 45 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 10.
Gala Pie Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published .
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