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Homemade Pie Mash and Liquor served on a white plate
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4.86 from 110 votes

Pie Mash and Liquor

This a proper pie mash and liquor recipe, that looks and tastes just like the original pie and mash shops in London.
We show you every step of the way how to make pie mash and liquor from scratch using simple, and best of all cheap ingredients.
A homemade suet base pastry, minced beef filling, shortcrust pastry lid, oven-baked and served with simple mash and liquor, a green sauce made from stock, flour and parsley.
This traditional high-calorie cockney dinner will become a new family favourite.
Makes 4 individual pies, enough for 1 per person.
Prep Time40 minutes
Active Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: British, London
Keyword: Cockney, Eels, green sauce, liquor sauce, London recipe, mince beef pie, pie and mash liquor recipe, pie and mash recipes, pie mash and liquor recipe, pie mash and liquor shop
Yield: 4 People
Calories: 1565kcal
Author: Luke and Kay - Flawless Food

Equipment

Ingredients

This recipe will make enough for 4 individual portion pie tins measuring 16cm x 12cm x 3.5cm deep

Mince beef filling

  • 500 g Beef Mince We find frozen beef breaks down better than fresh - 20% fat is best but 5% or 12% mince will work too.
  • 500 ml Beef stock Knorr beef stock pots are the best.
  • ½ teaspoon Sarson's Browning see blog post for substitute

Pie Base - Suet Pastry

  • 250 grams Plain flour
  • 150 grams Suet
  • 5 grams Baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 125 ml Cold water

Pie Lid - Shortcrust Pastry

  • 150 grams Plain flour
  • 75 grams Cold butter cut into small cubes plus extra butter to grease pie tins
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 tablespoon Water
  • splash of milk to glaze the pastry lid

Liquor - Parsley Sauce

  • 900 ml Fish Stock Use 2 x Knorr fish stock cubes (not the stock pot)
  • 5 tablespoon Plain flour
  • 180 ml Cold water (¾ cup)
  • 2 Handful's Fresh parsley finely chopped
  • Black Pepper & Salt to taste

Mash Potato - Keep it simple, don't add milk or butter.

  • 1.5 kg White Potatoes Chopped
  • OPTIONAL to serve- Jellied eels

Instructions

Mince beef pie filling

  • Brown off 500 g Beef Mince in a pan over medium-low heat for 7 minutes, breaking down into small pieces as it browns. (If using leaner mince you may need a bit of oil to prevent sticking)
    Browning off mince in a cast iron dish and stirring it with a black spoon
  • Add 500 ml Beef stock, bring to a gentle boil then turn the heat off.
    Pouring beef stock from a jug onto beef mince cooking in a cast iron pan
  • Add ½ teaspoon Sarson's Browning, stir through add black pepper and salt to taste
    Pouring browning into the cooked beef mince cooking in a pan
  • Leave to cool whilst making pastry. Preheat the oven at 180°C fan / 200°C conventional / 400°F/ Gas mark 6
    Stirring the pie beef mince filling with a black spoon cooking in a cast iron pan

Pie base - Suet pastry

  • Sieve 250 grams Plain flour into a mixing bowl.
    Sieving flour into a large silver mixing bowl
  • Add a Pinch of salt, 150 grams Suet and 5 grams Baking powder
    Plain flour, beef suet in a large silver mixing bowl and pouring baking powder into the bowl by hand
  • For best results use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
    Slowly combine the ingredients together
    Or use a wooden spoon to combine ingredients together.
    Mixing the flour and suet mix with an electric mixer and pouring water into the bowl with a tablespoon by hand
  • Increase speed and add 125 ml Cold water a little at a time
    If using a spoon switch to your hands for easier mixing, try to work quickly you don't want the heat from your hands to ruin the pastry
    Mixing the pie dough in an electric stand mixer
  • Once all water has been added and the dough has formed into a ball. Remove from the bowl on to a well-floured worktop. Knead for a minute little until soft and pliable.
    Kneading the pastry by hand in flour and a rolling pin in the background
  • Divide the suet dough into 4, which should be about 100 grams each (this is enough to cover 4 pie tins measuring 16cm x 12cm).
    You will have some left still which you will use later to shape the pastry in the tins, so don't throw it away!
    Four pastry balls on a floured surface and one in a hand with a wooden rolling pin in the background
  • Roll out until 3 cm bigger all the way around the tin, repeat for all 4. Use plenty of flour whilst rolling to prevent sticking to pin or worktop. Keep to one side.
    Rolling out the pie bottoms by hands with a wooden rolling pin on a floured surface

Pie lid - Shortcrust pastry

  • Sift out 150 grams Plain flour into a mixing bowl (you can use the same one from before).
    Sieving flour into a large silver mixing bowl
  • Add 75 grams Cold butter cut into small cubes and Pinch of salt use paddle attachment on medium speed to combine into breadcrumb texture.
    Or use your fingers to quickly rub butter into the flour, dont handle too much as the heat from your hands can melt the butter.
    Flour and cubed butter in a large silver mixing bowl
  • Add 1 tablespoon at a time of 3 tablespoon Water to form a dough. Remove from the bowl and onto a floured worktop.
    Pouring water from a tablespoon into the shortcrust pastry mixture while being mixed in a electric standing mixer
  • Knead into the flour, then divide into 4 pieces, they should weigh about 60g each.
    Four balls of shortcrust pastry on a floured surface
  • Roll out until bigger than the pie dish, you want it to overlap the tin slightly. It will roll out thinner than the base.
    Rolling out pastry with a wooden rolling pin on a floured surface
  • It will roll out thinner than the base. See image top is the shortcrust lid and the bottom is the thicker base.
    One pie bottom and one pie top being held up by hand to show thickness of both

Mash

  • Peel 1.5 kg White Potatoes and cut into big chunks. Place your chopped potatoes into a large pan of cold water. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook for about 20 minutes. Continue making the pies and come back to the mash later!
    Boiling chopped potatoes in a large silver pot
  • Once potatoes are soft enough, drain and put back into the pan to mash until smooth. Traditionally mash for this recipe does not have any butter or milk added as the liquor adds a rich enough flavour.
    Mashing the potato with a silver masher by hand in a large silver pot

Time to make the mince beef pies!

  • The 4 sheets of shortcrust should be rolled out smaller and thinner for the pie lid.
    The 4 sheets of suet pastry should be rolled out bigger and thicker for the pie base.
    Four pie bottoms and four pie tops stacked on a floured surface
  • Use butter to grease the tins well, so pies are easy to remove when cooked.
    Greasing a pie tin with butter by hand
  • Place the larger suet pastry base over the tin, use the ball of leftover pastry to gently push the pastry into the tins without tearing it.
    Pushing the middle of the pie bottom down with a lump of pastry
  • Add the minced beef mixture equally into the 4 prepared suet pastry bases, pour any remaining stock in with them too.
    Four pies being filled with mince beef filling by hand with a silver spoon
  • Get a bowl of water and wet down the pastry edges with A LOT of water. Do not be shy here, it needs to be soaked well for the lid and base to stick together well. It doesn't matter if water drops into the beef mince.
    Coating four pies bottom edges with a water a wash by hand with a brush
  • Now place the pastry lids on top, DO NOT push the pastry lid down onto the mince filling. Think of it more like a drum stretching the pastry across to meet the edges!
    Placing the pie tops on top of the bottoms of four pies by hand
  • Cup your hand and push the lid firmly onto the pie tin edges to seal.
    Pressing down the pie tops by hands
  • Use a knife to cut down and around the pie tin edges.
    Cutting away the remaining pastry away from the edges of the pie with a knife
  • Pour a splash of milk into a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to very gently glaze the lid with milk.
    Coating the tops of four pies with a milk wash with a brush
  • Ready to bake, place all 4 prepared pies onto a baking tin. Cook in the preheated oven at 180°C fan / 200°C conventional / 400°F/ Gas mark 6 for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, make your liquor.
    Four homemade pies on a black baking tray ready to go in the oven
  • If you want more brown on top, leave in for 5 more minutes.
    Four mince beef pies cooked on a black baking tray

Liquor - Green Parsley Sauce

  • Make up 900 ml Fish Stock from cubes with boiling water in a pan.
    Pouring boiling hot water on two fish stock cubes in a cast iron pan
  • Sieve 5 tablespoon Plain flour into 180 ml Cold water (¾ cup), whilst whisking, to make sure it mixes well
    Sieving plain flour into water in a glass jug whilst mixing with a whisk
  • When you are positive there are NO LUMPS in the flour and cold water. Slowly pour whilst whisking into the stock. Bring to the boil.
    Whisking flour and water mix by hand into fish stock cooking in a cast iron pan
  • Use scissors instead of a knife to chop the 2 Handful's Fresh parsley very finely, you want the green parsley juice in the pan, not on the chopping board!
    Chopped up parsley on a black plate with a pair of orange and silver scissors on the side
  • Add parsley, Black Pepper & Salt, then lower to a simmer for 5 minutes. The liquor sauce is meant to be a thin sauce.
    Placing fresh chopped parsley into the liquor cooking in a cast iron pan
  • If you want it thicker repeat flour and cold water steps to prevent lumps from forming.
    Homemade liquor cooking in a pan
  • Ready to serve! Serve pie with a couple of scoops of mash potato and drizzle the liquor all over!
    Pouring liquor from a silver jug onto pie and mash on a white plate with a knife,fork and spoon on the side
  • For a proper Eastend London Pie Mash and Liquor experience, serve with Chilli Vinegar & OPTIONAL to serve- Jellied eels!
    Pie Mash and Liquor served on a white plate with a knife, fork, spoon, a bowl of jellied eels, a jug of liquor and a bottle of chilli vinegar on the side

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 1565kcal | Carbohydrates: 171g | Protein: 73g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 30965mg | Potassium: 2975mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 657IU | Vitamin C: 77mg | Calcium: 280mg | Iron: 15mg