Coq Au Vin Chicken Pie With Buttery Carrots & Mash

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7, then take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Boil a kettle

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add your diced chicken with a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 min on each side or until golden

While the chicken is cooking, peel and quarter your shallot[s]

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Slice half your baby button mushrooms in half, leave the rest whole

Peel your potatoes and chop them into large, bite-sized pieces

Top, tail and chop your carrot[s] into batons

When your chicken is slightly golden, add the quartered shallot, halved mushrooms, remaining whole mushrooms and chopped garlic with a crack of black pepper and cook for 3-4 min or until beginning to soften

Meanwhile, combine your tomato paste, beef stock mix and red wine paste in 320ml [400ml] [520ml] boiled water – this is your stock

Once slightly softened, add half your dried thyme (you'll use the rest later!), bay leaf[ves] and 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [3 tbsp] flour and mix everything together

Add the stock and bring to the boil over a high heat then cook for 3-4 min, once boiling transfer to an oven-proof dish

Dust your work surface with a generous sprinkling of flour

Unwrap your puff pastry and roll it out to approx. 0.5cm thickness with a rolling pin then score a cross in the middle

Boil a kettle and transfer the pie mix to an oven-proof dish[es], top with the pastry, then crimp the edges with a fork to seal the pastry to the dish

Tip: Any excess pastry? Create your own pie design!

Sprinkle over the remaining dried thyme and put the dish in the oven for 20-25 min or until the pastry is puffed up and golden and the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your coq au vin chicken pie

Reserve the pan and wipe clean

Add the chopped potatoes to a pot with plenty of boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-16 min or until fork-tender then drain and return to the pot to steam dry

Return the drained potatoes to a low heat with a knob of butter a splash of milk and a pinch of salt and pepper and mash until smooth

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat with a small knob of butter and 150ml [190ml] [250ml] boiled water

Once melted, add the carrot batons with a generous crack of black pepper and cook, covered, for 12 min or until tender with a slight bite – these are your peppery carrots