Tomato & Pulled Free Range Chicken Thigh Potato-Topped Pie

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7 and boil a kettle

Take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Chop the potatoes (skins on) into bite-sized pieces, then add them to a pot with plenty of boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook for 12-15 min or until fork-tender, then drain and return to the pot to steam dry

While the potatoes are boiling, reboil a kettle

Peel and finely dice the brown onion[s]

Top, tail, peel and dice the carrot[s] finely

Peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic

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

Once hot, add the diced onion and carrot and cook for 3 min or until starting to soften

Meanwhile dissolve the beef stock mix, tomato paste and Marmite in 250ml [325ml] [400ml] boiled water and stir in the soy sauce – this is your rich tomato stock

Once the vegetables have softened, turn the heat up to high, then add the chopped garlic and free range chicken thighs and cook for 3 min on each side or until browned

Once browned, reduce the heat to medium-high, then add the red wine vinegar and cook for 1 min further or until reduced slightly

Add the rich tomato stock and bay leaf[ves] and cook, covered, for a further 10 min or until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!)

While the chicken is cooking, return the drained potatoes to a low heat with a generous knob of butter and a splash of milk

Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and mash until smooth – this is your creamy mash

Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a clean board and shred it apart using two forks – this technique is known as 'pulling'

Remove the bay leaf[ves] from the pan and discard

Return the pulled chicken to the pan with a generous grind of black pepper and give everything a good mix up – this is your pulled chicken pie filling

Transfer the pulled chicken pie filling to an oven-proof dish and top evenly with the creamy mash

Put the dish in the oven for 12-15 min or until golden and bubbling – this is your tomato & pulled free range chicken thigh potato-topped pie

Reboil half a kettle

Once the pie is nearly ready, add the blanched peas to a colander and pour plenty of boiled water all over them until they're warmed through