Chicken and Leek Pie and a Day in Battle and Bexhill, England

Chicken and leek pie is a lovely twist on a standard chicken pie. It includes chunks of brie and dried cranberries for a special occasion, anytime. It’s reminiscent of a cosy, pub style meal when you want comfort food.

I’m sharing this chicken and leek pie because I cannot keep it all to myself.

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Following up from my last post where my cousin Denisa and I were flying from Rome to London. We did actually manage to get on our plane from Rome without any further mishaps.

We landed at Gatwick Airport later that evening, and picked up my rental car as I was planning to drive up to Scotland later in the week. We drove into Battle (a town in England, not to fight anyone), arriving around midnight; we were absolutely shattered and ready for bed.

Denisa took one more day off to recuperate, and after scoffing a brilliant British breakfast that she made, we walked into Battle.

Battle Abbey, the iconic structure which overlooks the town, was built on the alleged site of where King Harold died in the bloody Battle of 1066. This was a battle that changed the course of British history.

England is full of historical places and structures, but it is difficult to describe the impact of actually walking in the same place that a famous battle occurred, or visiting a castle or home of a famous figure. I have toured Battle Abbey in the past, (part of the English Heritage foundation), and highly recommend visiting if you are in East Sussex.

We had decided to walk into Battle to meet some family, and we all meandered over to a lovely cafe in a Tudor style building for tea and coffee. Starbucks, eat your heart out.

We all continued our walk together near some fields and pastures where we were entertained by some laid back cows. I loved seeing the brambles growing in the hedgerows which reminded me of my time as a child in Scotland. I spent the rest of the day with family and not really doing much of anything. If you’ve been following along, you know this didn’t happen very much during my culinary trip through Europe.

The next day, Denisa went to work and her lovely daughter, Christina and I planned a local day out. Yes, two cousins named their daughters after each other, and it does get confusing when the four of us are together! (If you are new to my page, my name is Christina and my daughter is named Denisa. My cousin Denisa has a daughter named Christina.) 

Another recipe that’s similar to chicken and leek pie: fish and leek pie!

Our first stop was to go by SOLAR UK, which is my cousin Denisa and husband, Duncan’s company. I had seen their 17 sided building which houses their offices and factory from the exterior, but had yet to go inside. What a spectacular structure, and it happens to be the only 17 sided building in the UK! It’s still a work in progress.

Here’s my wonderful godson, Rob, hard at work (he works in the mining industry and rents an office here), along with the rest of the family. If you are in the UK or Europe and have solar needs, give them a call.

After a quick tour of the offices and factory, Christina and I headed to Fairlight, which is on the coast near Hastings. It was another gorgeous September day, and we were both so happy to be able to enjoy the fresh sea air and views on our walk.

Although we didn’t burn up as much energy as this guy, we did work up quite an appetite.

I told Christina I fancied a pub lunch, and she thought about a place that she passes all the time, but had never visited. It was called The Three Oaks Pub and Restaurant, in the tiny village of Three Oaks, near Hastings.

When I parked the car, we noticed a sign that said, “Possibly the Best Pub in the World”, which was possibly a good sign–no pun intended! It did indeed fit the bill of a lovely looking pub.

We stepped inside from the patio area and were greeted by lots of tankards and beer steins hanging from the ceiling. It was the type of decor that gives a true English pub experience, and although I would have loved to have eaten inside, it was much too warm and gorgeous not to enjoy an outdoor lunch.

Christina chose the chicken, leek, brie and cranberry pie, which didn’t appeal to me when I looked at it on the menu (I’d be kicking myself later) and so I ordered the fish and chips. We both had half pints of cider, too, but could easily have ordered a shandy.

A note to US readers: cider in the UK always refers to “hard cider” as in, “containing alcohol”. You don’t want to order apple cider for your young children anywhere in Britain.

Our plates were as big as serving platters and both of our choices looked wonderful!

I was happy with my fish and chips until I tasted some of Christina’s chicken and leek pie with cranberries and brie!

Don’t you hate it when someone orders something that you like better than your own meal? I had no idea a leek and chicken pie could be so delicious! Who even thought of putting brie in a pie? It was so good, I took a close up photo to remember what it looked like inside, so I could attempt to recreate it at home!

And that’s exactly what I did! (Recipe follows below). After our delicious lunch, we went to visit my Aunt Elvira, and Aunt Rosa. I took lots of photos of their flowers as both of them have marvelous gardens.

Later on, we went to Rob’s place and someone had the terrible idea of picking up fish and chips, of all things! I was still full from lunch, but the smell alone was torture (I only nibbled, honest)!

The next day, Christina and I had time to pop into Bexhill before I had to drive north of London. I’d never been to Bexhill, and I wanted to visit some charity shops (thrift stores).

Apparently, Bexhill is the town with the most charity shops in all of Britain, numbering at 24 on just three streets! We zig-zagged our way through town and I bought a teapot and some crystal, and had some other great finds. There was also a lovely tea room, bakeries, and other shops in the town, as well as a market.

Christina had one last place she wanted to take me–Ashburnham Place. I had also wanted to go there since my daughter, Denisa, raved about the Victoria’s sponge at the Orangery Tea Room when she visited last year. It is a Christian retreat center set on lovely grounds just outside the town of Battle.

The Orangery Tea Room serves afternoon tea, light lunches and lots of incredibly delicious cakes!

After having Victoria’s sponge at the Orangery Tea Room, all I can say is, my daughter has good taste! Christina had a coffee and walnut cake and it reminded me how much I adore this cake. We were much too full to have afternoon tea scones, but we did enjoy the cakes with some lovely cups of tea.

When we went home, I packed and got ready to go to my cousin Connie’s house, just north of London.

Continue following my culinary tour of Europe.

As promised, the chicken and leek pie recipe and a few of my favorite items I used to make it.

 Chicken and Leek Pie with Cranberries and Brie

inspired by The Three Oaks Pub and Restaurant                         Serves 8

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW                     

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts (or leftover roast, boiled, or rotisserie chicken)
• 16 oz chicken stock
• 4 oz good quality brie
• 2 0z (1/2 stick) butter
• 2 medium leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 2 oz (1/3 cup) flour
• 1 cup half and half (half milk/half cream)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup milk or cream
• pastry for a double crust pie OR puff pastry just to cover the top of the pie dish
• slightly beaten egg white with a teaspoon of water for brushing the top of the pie

Special equipment: pie tin

Oven temperature: 400°F (200°C).

Directions

Place the chicken breasts into a pot with the chicken stock and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. Remove the chicken and strain the stock into a jug and reserve for later. When cool, dice the breasts into bite sized pieces.

Next, cut the brie into small cubes and set aside.

Melt half of the butter in a large saute pan, over medium heat, then add the leeks and celery.  Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the other half of the butter.

After the butter has melted, turn up the heat a little and add the flour. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, and do not let the flour brown. Stir in the half and half, a little at a time, until a sauce begins to form and all the dairy has been added.

Next, stir in about 12 to 14 ounces of the stock and mix well. Add more stock if it is too thick; it should be a fairly runny sauce.

Add the cranberries, then the chicken and the brie, stirring to combine. Mix in the 1/3 cup of milk or cream and add more of the leftover stock if needed.

At this point preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Pastry Crust

Roll out just over half of the dough and place in a deep pie dish. Do the same with the remaining dough for the lid. Fill with the chicken mixture and brush the edges of the pie with the beaten egg white and water. Next, place the lid on the pie, crimp, and brush with the egg wash.

Finally, make a slit in the top and place in the lower part of the oven for about 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, move the chicken brie and cranberry pie to the center of the oven and continue to make for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. If the edges begin to burn, cover with aluminum foil.

Puff Pastry Lid

Cut puff pastry the size of the top of the pie dish. Put the filling in the dish and put in the hot oven for about 20 minutes. Just before the 20 minutes is up, brush the puff pastry with egg white. Remove from the oven and carefully place the puff pastry on top of the dish. Finish baking another 20 to 25 minutes. Alternatively, you can bake the puff pastry on its own tray then add to the pie at the end of cooking.

Serving

Remove from the oven when ready and allow to cool for a minimum of 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with mashed potatoes, peas and chicken gravy.

For the record, if the chicken and leek pie with brie and cranberries in England was a 10, I’d give mine an 8. Super close to the original, but maybe the atmosphere is what makes the difference. Regardless, I’m very happy with the results; it’s a delicious pie and I make it often. Try it with a puff pastry crust sometime!

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Chicken and Leek Pie with Cranberries and Brie Recipe

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

A wonderful savory pie recipe inspired by a visit to the Three Oaks Pub in Hastings, England.

4.8 from 37 votes

Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts (or leftover roasted, boiled, or rotisserie chicken)
• 16 oz chicken stock
• 4 oz brie (good quality)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 medium leeks (cleaned and sliced)
• 1 stalk celery (chopped)
• ⅓ cup flour
• 1 cup half and half
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup milk (or cream)

Pastry: follow instructions for double crust pie pastry

• 1 egg white (slightly beaten)
• 1 tsp water (mixed with egg white to brush top of pie)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the chicken:

• (If using leftover chicken, skip the cooking directions here.) Place the chicken breasts into a pot with the chicken stock and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts.
• Remove the chicken and strain the stock into a jug and reserve for later. When cool, dice the breasts into bite-sized pieces.

For the filling:

• Cut the brie into small cubes and set aside.
• Melt half of the butter in a large saute pan, over medium heat, then add the leeks and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the other half of the butter.
• After the butter has melted, turn up the heat a little and add the flour. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, and do not let the flour brown.
• Stir in the half and half, a little at a time, until a sauce begins to form and all the dairy has been added.
• Next, stir in about 12 to 14 oz (341-397 grams) of the stock and mix well. Add more stock if it is too thick; it should be a fairly runny sauce.
• Add the cranberries, then the chicken and the brie, stirring to combine. Mix in the milk and add more of the leftover stock if needed.

For the pie:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Follow instructions for: double crust pie pastry

  Roll out just over half of the dough and place in a deep pie dish. Roll out the remaining dough for the lid. Fill with the chicken mixture and brush the edges of the pie with the beaten egg white and water.
• Next, place the lid on the pie, crimp, and brush with the egg wash.
• Make a slit in the top and place in the lower part of the oven for about 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, move the pie to the center of the oven and continue to make for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. If the edges begin to burn, cover with aluminum foil.
• Remove from the oven when ready and allow to cool for a minimum of 15 minutes before cutting. Serve with mashed potatoes, peas and chicken gravy.

Notes

• You can use turkey instead of chicken.
• Do not use fresh cranberries (I tried and it didn't work)
• Omit the brie, if you don't like it, or substitute another cheese.
• Instead of making a pie crust, try this pie filing with a puff pastry top, for a change.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg

Did you Make this Recipe?

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Author: Christina Conte

Course Main Courses

Cuisine British, Scottish

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