Ingredients:
1kg lean mutton (or lamb), cubed
2 onions, peeled and quartered
500g turnips, peeled and sliced
30g butter
30g plain flour
2 dessert spoon parsley, finely chopped
350g puff pastry
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Combine the mutton (or lamb), onions and turnips in a large saucepan. Cover with water then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 2 hours.
Take off the heat and strain off the liquid into a bowl then set aside. Arrange the meat and vegetables on a plate and set aside to cool. Once the meat and vegetables are cold, melt the butter over gentle heat in a pan. Scatter over the flour and stir into the butter to form a smooth roux. Cook gently, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes then work in the reserved cooking liquid until smooth.
Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the stock has thickened into a rich gravy. Take off the heat and set aside. Arrange the meat and vegetables in a pie dish then scatter over the parsley and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour in enough of the gravy to three-quarters fill the pie dish (reserve the remainder to serve with the pie as a gravy). Lightly roll out the puff pastry and use to cover the top of the pie dish. Cut a cross in the centre and peel back the points to form a steam hole. Make a rose with the pastry scraps and sit this in the hole. Then form some leaves and arrange these in a fan pattern around the rose.
Transfer the pie to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the filling is piping hot and the pastry is well puffed and golden brown.
Serve hot, accompanied by any left-over gravy.
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