Impressive, old fashioned and plentiful, Mary Berry’s raised game pie will feed 20 hungry guests and if there is any left over, it’s ideal for a cold buffet.

Raised game pies look impressive but may daunt some potential cooks. Fear not, they are simpler to make than they seem, and they wow on the table. A game pie makes a stunning centrepiece and this recipe is straightforward. You will need to allow time to marinate the meats, so plan ahead. (You might like this Mary Berry recipe for steak and ale pie too.)

MARY BERRY’S RAISED GAME PIE

This is a giant of a pie, serving 20 people. It looks wonderful on the table and is delicious cold too. Taken from Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook, DK, £30

Serves 20

• 2kg chicken, boned and skinned
• 1kg boneless mixed game meats, cut into 1cm pieces
• 375g belly pork, coarsely chopped
• 500g streaky bacon, cut into small pieces
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 450ml jellied stock (crack gamebird bones and put them in a stock pot; heat until browned; stir in a litre of water and bring to the boil; the stock will set when cool)

For the marinade

• 150ml port
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Leaves of 4 thyme sprigs, chopped
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg

For the hot-water-crust pastry

• 750g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 400ml water
• 300g white vegetable fat
• 29cm springform or loose-bottomed tin

THE METHOD

To make the marinade, combine ingredients.

Cut the chicken breast into long strips about 1cm wide and set aside. Cut the rest into 1cm chunks and add to the marinade with the game meats, belly pork and bacon. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for eight hours.
Lightly grease the tin.

To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Put water and fat into a saucepan and heat until the water is boiling and the fat has melted. Pour onto the flour and mix until it holds together. Turn dough onto floured surface, invert the bowl over the top to keep moist and cool until lukewarm.

Take two-thirds of the pastry and pat it out over the bottom and up the sides of the tin until it stands 1cm above the rim.

Season the meat mixture and spoon half into the pastry shell. Smooth the surface.

Arrange the reserved chicken breast strips on top of the meat, radiating from the middle. Season. Top with the remaining meat mixture. Brush the top edge of the pastry with beaten egg. Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the pie, reserving the trimmings. Pinch around the edge to seal then crimp. Decorate with the trimmings, attaching them with beaten egg. Make three steam holes in the lid and glaze with beaten egg.

Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C/200°C fan/430°F/Gas Mark 7 for one hour. If the pastry browns too quickly, cover with foil. Reduce the heat to 160°C/140°C fan/320°F/Gas Mark 3 and cook for 2-2¼ hours.