Steak and kidney pie with double peas

Steak and kidney pie with double peas elevates classic British school dinner comfort with rich chuck steak, ox kidney and chestnut mushrooms in mushroom ketchup gravy, topped with flaky lard pastry. Served alongside creamy marrowfat peas and buttered petit peas, this Matt Tebbutt Saturday Kitchen recipe serves 6-8 over 3 hours total.

Steak and kidney pie scores Nutri-Score D. Protein-rich beef and kidney balance against pastry fats and pea carbs. Auto-calculated from ingredients—guide only.

Method

Steak and kidney filling (2½ hours – do ahead)

1. Cook vegetables. Heat butter in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, celery, garlic, chestnut mushrooms, bay leaves and thyme. Fry for 10 minutes until softened but not browned.
2. Brown steak. Season plain flour with salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss chopped chuck steak in flour, add to pan and cook until well coloured on all sides.
3. Add kidneys. Add trimmed ox kidneys to pan and fry for 1 minute until just coloured. Stir in mushroom ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Bring to boil.
4. Simmer long. Reduce to gentle simmer, cover and cook for 2 hours until thickened and meat tender. Season to taste, cool completely, then transfer to 22cm pie dish. Chill.

Make pastry (20 mins + 1 hour chill)

5. Combine fats. Chop lard and butter into strong flour and salt in large bowl. Rub in by hand until breadcrumb texture.
6. Bring together. Add cold water gradually, mixing until dough just comes together. Do not overwork. Wrap in clingfilm, chill at least 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Divide chilled pastry in half. Roll one piece to 1cm thick, line base and sides of chilled pie dish with filling. Fill with cold steak kidney mix.
8. Top and glaze. Roll second pastry piece for lid, cover pie, seal edges, trim excess. Brush with beaten egg, chill 1 hour. Bake 45-60 minutes until golden.

Marrowfat peas (1 hour 15 mins)

9. Boil peas. Place soaked marrowfat peas, bicarbonate of soda, bay leaf, thyme sprigs and chopped onion in large saucepan. Cover with water.
10. Simmer soft. Bring to boil, then simmer 1 hour until very soft. Drain well.
11. Finish rich. Stir in beef fat and finely chopped boiled onion. Add malt vinegar to taste. Keep warm.

Buttered peas (10 mins)

12. Sauté base. Melt butter in frying pan, add chopped banana shallot and crushed garlic. Fry 5 minutes until soft.
13. Cook peas. Add frozen peas and chicken stock. Bring to boil, simmer 3-4 minutes until tender. Season.

Serve family style

14. Slice pie hot from oven. Spoon marrowfat peas one side, buttered peas other. Gravy boat essential.

Suggested Wine Pairing

Steak kidney pie needs bold reds cutting rich gravy.

Shiraz (£10 Tesco)—blackberry pepper loves mushroom kidney.

Claret (£12 Sainsbury’s)—cassisdark fruit matches beef stock depth.

Malbec (£11 Asda)—plum smoke balances pastry richness.

What can you serve with this

1. Mash potato—creamy soaks up pie gravy perfectly.
2. Pickled red cabbage—sharp crunch cuts richness.
3. Carrot and swede mash—sweet earthiness complements kidney.
4. Gravy boat—extra beef stock reduction essential.

FAQs for Steak and Kidney Pie

• Kidney essential? Adds richness—lamb kidneys milder alternative.
• Make ahead full pie? Filling yes (3 days fridge), assemble bake day-of.
• Gluten-free possible? GF flour blend, check mushroom ketchup.
• Marrowfat peas substitute? Mushy peas from tin work fine.
• Freezes well? Uncooked pie freezes 1 month, thaw overnight.
• Puff pastry instead? Yes, lighter crunch different vibe.
• Vegetarian version? Mushrooms lentils beef stock sub.

Nutri-score Health Check

Rates D (A healthiest-E least). Beef protein vs pastry/pea carbs. Guide only.

Positive Factors

• Chuck steak iron protein B12.
• Peas fibre vitamins minerals.
• Vegetables onions celery vitamins.

Negative Factors

• Lard pastry saturated fats.
• Kidney high cholesterol.
• Refined flour carbs.