Pulled Lamb, Rosemary and Cheese Pie

Preheat oven to 160˚C, put rosemary sprigs in an oven dish and put lamb leg on top. Make five small slits in the lamb with the point of a sharp knife and poke garlic into holes.

Pour wine and water into the base of the dish and season the lamb well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the whole dish with tinfoil and roast for 5 hours. Remove foil and cook a further 40 minutes uncovered.

Shred meat from the bone with two forks, discarding fat. Add finely chopped rosemary to meat, season with sea salt and pepper and set aside. Add caramelised onions (if using). Remove rosemary and drain fat from the oven dish. Put on a gentle heat on the cook top, add flour and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the good bits stuck to the pan.

Add boiling water and keep stirring (use a whisk if necessary) until gravy thickens, add cream and cook a few minutes more until thick and glossy. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool lamb and gravy in the fridge for half an hour, fold together and chill over night. Put baking paper on two oven trays.

Cut a 22 centimeter circle from each of the ready rolled puff pastry squares and place on the trays. Divide the lamb mixture between the two pastry circles, making sure you leave a 1.5cm of clear pastry around the edge, then brush this edge with egg. Pat the meat into a neat, flat circle and top each with half of the mozzarella.

Cut the butter puff pastry into 2 x 25cm circles (a little patching will be required on one, but it will be fine). Place each circle on top of the meat and use your hands to smooth pastry firmly over meat then use your thumb or the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Trim neatly, brush with egg and score gently in a circular pattern from the centre out, make a small hole in the middle with the tip of a knife. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and refrigerate for half an hour while the oven heats to 180˚C.

Place two oven trays in the oven to heat up for 5 minutes then slide the pies onto them. Cook for 45 minutes, (you may need to swap the pie levels while cooking to ensure even colour) then rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with tomato chutney or mint jelly, mashed potatoes and peas. Serves 8.

You can freeze the pies before cooking, then defrost overnight in the fridge and cook as normal – so you can make them, cook one and freeze one.