Tag: apple pie

Our week that was: Litter pick, antique fair and apple pie

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Summer is slowly turning towards autumn. The garden is looking a little scruffy with the grasses and wild flowers in need of chopping back. Our huge sycamore has begun to drop a few leaves here and there in preparation for its big release. The week saw a couple of events for us; an early morning drive to an antique fair for Justin and a local litter picking mission for me.

Village litter pick, Aug 2024

Village litter pick

I organised for some of us Women’s Institute members to meet up to do a tidy up around our village. I borrowed a litter picking kit from the local council – a very easy task done via their website. Justin & I collected the kit a few days later from the library in Aberystwyth town centre. The bundle comprised grabbers, refuse bags, bag hoops (for keeping the bags open as you fill them) and heavy-duty gloves.

Four of us met up outside the village church and set about clearing the verges of plastic drinks bottles, cans, fast food containers, crisp packets and the like. We collected about one large bin bag full between us in about 2 hours. We were having such a good time nattering to each other along the way that we didn’t realise we’d walked about 4 miles. Good for the village AND our health!

Antiques fair held at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Showground at Builth Wells

Builth Wells

The twice-yearly antiques fair held at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Showground at Builth Wells was on again this week. It’s a huge, 2-day event with hundreds of dealers indoors and out from all over the UK.

Antiques fair held at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Showground at Builth Wells

Justin picked up a few choice items, including an antique margarine crock that has been receiving a lot of love over on our home Instagram account.

Antique custard sandwich biscuit tinAntique glazed margarine crock with wooden lidHearts decorated vintage pottery coffee set
Pair of antique brass candlesticksAntique white pottery candle holderAntique wooden bread board

All the items above will be hitting our web shop or listed on eBay in the not too distant future, so keep an eye out if anything is of interest… or contact us to reserve.

Homemade apple pie

Apple pie

The first thing I made with the apples I picked last week from a friend’s orchard was a plain apple pie. Without the addition of cinnamon, blackberries or sultanas, we could easier judge the flavour of the baker’s delicious variety. It was certainly delicious – the pieces of apple held its form on cooking and kept its colour too. A good all-round cooker.

Cakes & Bakes: Spiced apple & sultana pie

Home-made spiced apple sultana pie | H is for Home

We’re coming to the end of British Pie Week so we’re getting involved again and making a pie.

Sliced ball of shortcrust pastry

At the mere mention of the word ‘pie’ we usually get involved – any excuse! Yes, the saying may go, “As American as apple pie”, but we’re famous for our apples here in Blighty – and have no doubt been using them in pies for centuries.

Peeled, cored and chopped apples

We’ve rustled up a spiced apple & sultana pie for our Cakes & Bakes post… it’s quite a comforting, wintery version of the simple classic.

Saucepan of chopped apples and Muscovado sugar

Crisp, buttery pastry with a soft, warm, cinnamon-infused fruity filling… and finished off with thick, cold cream of course.

Trimmed shortcrust pastry pie base

You might have a bit of pastry left over – if you do, don’t just bin it, use cutters to turn it into shapes or letters to adorn the top.

Home-made spiced apple sultana pie top

The perfect, celebratory Pie Week pie!

Home-made spiced apple sultana pie | H is for Home

Spiced apple & sultana pie

Print recipe Pin recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

For the pastry

  • 240 g/8½oz plain flour
  • 120 g/4¼oz cold butter
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 tbsp cold water

For the filling

  • 4 Bramley apples - peeled cored & chopped into 2cm chunks
  • 50 g/2oz butter
  • 50 g/2oz sultanas
  • 75 g/2½oz brown or Muscavado sugar
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar

Instructions
 

For the pastry

  • Grease a 9" diameter round pie dish
  • Put the flour, butter and pinch of salt into a food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs
  • Add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing between each addition until the mixture comes together into a ball
  • Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour

For the filling

  • Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan before adding the chopped apple
  • Add the sultanas and brown/Muscavado sugar and cook until the apple is slightly softened but still al dente
  • Set aside to cool completely while you roll out the pie base
  • Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6

For the pie

  • Divide the chilled pastry into two, one ⅓ and the other frac23;. Put the ⅓ back into the fridge
  • Roll out the other piece into a round about ⅓cm thickness and line the dish, carefully pressing it flat cut off the excess around the rim leaving a ½cm overhang
  • Prick the base with a fork, cover with baking beans (or dried peas like I do) and blind bake for 15 minutes
  • Remove the pie base from the oven and set aside
  • Remove the 2nd piece of pastry from the fridge, roll out into a round, again about ½cm
  • Spoon the apple filling on to the cooled pastry base and cover with the pastry round. Press into the pastry base and trim any excess.
  • Brush the top with milk, sprinkle with the caster sugar and put back into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown
  • Allow to cool slightly before serving with cream or vanilla ice cream
apple & sultana pie ingredients
Keyword apple, fruit pie, hot water pastry, pastry, pie, sultanas