Lamb filo pie

 

Chef Matt Tebbutt delivers a vibrant Middle Eastern-inspired feast with this spiced lamb filo pie recipe. Slow-cooked shoulder of lamb is infused with warming spices, rose harissa, preserved lemon, and creamy feta, all encased beneath a shatteringly crisp buttered filo crust. Served alongside a fragrant, fruit-loaded herby couscous, it makes an exceptional dish for sharing.

Jump To Recipe By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen 31Oct26

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This warming spiced lamb pie provides high-quality protein, essential iron, and healthy fats from lamb shoulder, nuts, and olive oil, balanced by fiber-rich couscous, fresh herbs, and pomegranate seeds. The combination of butter pastry and feta places the overall profile at a balanced Nutri-Score C.

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Ingredients

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How the Timings Work

• Stage 1 (Spiced Braise): Brown lamb chunks in a large casserole dish, add aromatics, spices, and stock, then simmer covered for 1 hour 30 minutes until tender.
• Stage 2 (Assembly & Bake): Cool filling, butter filo sheets using a pastry brush, line a pie dish, and bake at 200C/180C Fan for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Stage 3 (Couscous Prep): Soak couscous in hot stock in a large mixing bowl, toast nuts in a dry frying pan, and toss with fruits and herbs.
• Stage 4 (Serve): Plate portions of crisp spiced pie and herbed couscous with Greek yoghurt and pomegranate molasses.

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Method

Stage 1: Slow-Cooking Spiced Lamb Filling (1 hour 45 mins)

1. Brown the lamb shoulder. Season 500g diced lamb shoulder with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add lamb chunks and fry until browned all over.
2. Add aromatics and spices. Stir in 1 finely chopped onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves until softened. Add 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp paprika, 50g pine nuts, 2 chopped preserved lemons, and 3 tbsp rose harissa paste.
3. Simmer until tender. Pour in 150ml lamb stock, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes until lamb is meltingly tender. If liquid is thin, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to reduce. Leave filling to cool completely before assembly.

Stage 2: Layering Filo Pastry and Baking Pie (30 mins)

1. Preheat oven and butter filo. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Melt 30g unsalted butter. Using a pastry brush, brush 3 sheets of filo pastry with melted butter and layer them inside a pie dish, leaving generous overhang to fold over the top later.
2. Assemble filling and crust. Spoon the cooled lamb filling into the filo-lined dish and crumble 150g feta cheese evenly over the top. Scrunch remaining buttered filo sheets over the filling to create a textured, craggy crown.
3. Bake until crisp. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden brown and crisp, and the spiced filling is piping hot throughout.

Stage 3: Preparing Herbed Fruit Couscous (15 mins)

1. Hydrate couscous. Place 300g couscous into a large mixing bowl and stir in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Pour over 350ml hot vegetable or chicken stock, cover the bowl tightly with a plate or cling film, and leave to absorb for 5 minutes.
2. Toast nuts and mix ingredients. Toast 50g pistachios and 30g flaked almonds in a dry dry frying pan for 3 minutes until fragrant. Fluff hydrated couscous with a fork, then stir in chopped apricots, sultanas, pomegranate seeds, toasted nuts, sliced spring onions, chopped parsley and mint, lemon zest and juice, ½ tsp cumin, and a pinch of cinnamon.

Stage 4: Serving (5 mins)

1. Plate up. Cut crisp lamb filo pie into wedges and divide between plates alongside generous mounds of fragrant herbed fruit couscous. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.

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Techniques for Success

1. Buttering Filo Pastry Layers

Brushing delicate sheets of filo pastry with melted butter creates waterproof fat barriers between layers, allowing trapped moisture to steam pastry into crisp sheets.

• Failure if done wrong: Dry spots cause filo to burn instantly or fuse together into a tough, chewy mass.
• Step-by-step checks: Use a soft pastry brush to dab butter quickly across every sheet. Keep unused filo covered with a damp tea towel to prevent drying.
• Visual/physical signs of success: Translucent, evenly buttered pastry sheets that puff up and turn golden brown in the oven.
• Finished result profile: Shatteringly crisp, flaky golden pastry topping.

2. Slow Braising Lamb Shoulder

Gentle low-heat simmering breaks down tough connective collagen in shoulder meat, transforming it into tender, succulent morsels.

• Failure if done wrong: High-heat boiling tightens meat fibers, leaving lamb dry, stringy, and tough.
• Step-by-step checks: Maintain a gentle bubble with lid on. Check tenderness with a fork before removing from heat.
• Visual/physical signs of success: Meat pulls apart effortlessly under gentle pressure.
• Finished result profile: Succulent, spice-infused tender lamb chunks in a rich gravy.

3. Hydrating Couscous Properly

Coating dry grains in olive oil before adding hot stock prevents clumping, ensuring each grain plumps individually.

• Failure if done wrong: Adding stock without oil results in sticky, gummy, unevenly cooked semolina lumps.
• Step-by-step checks: Toss dry couscous thoroughly with oil until coated. Cover tightly immediately after adding boiling stock.
• Visual/physical signs of success: Light, fluffy, separate grains that absorb liquid completely without excess moisture.
• Finished result profile: Light, aromatic grain base balancing rich spiced pie fillings.

Technique	Failure if done wrong	Success looks like
Buttering Filo Pastry	Dry, burnt, or chewy pastry crust	Shatteringly crisp, golden flaky layers
Braising Lamb Shoulder	Tough, stringy, dry meat chunks	Meltingly tender meat infused with spices
Hydrating Couscous	Gummy, sticky, clumped semolina	Light, fluffy, perfectly separated grains

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Tips and Swaps

• Get ahead: Cook the spiced lamb filling up to 2 days in advance and store covered in the fridge. Assemble with fresh filo pastry just before baking.
• Swaps: Replace lamb shoulder with diced aubergine and chickpeas for a delicious vegetarian spiced filo pie option.
• Vegetarians: Use vegetable stock for the braise and couscous, substituting roasted squash and lentils for the lamb.
• Leftovers: Store leftover baked pie and couscous separately in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat pie in oven at 180C Fan for 15 minutes to recrisp pastry.

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Wine Pairing

Recommended by Olly Smith:

Everleaf Forest Chipotle Hot Honey — Available Online, £25

Olly Smith selects a sophisticated non-alcoholic botanical aperitif to complement this spiced lamb filo pie recipe. The complex bittersweet forest aromatics and gentle chipotle warmth echo the rose harissa and warming spices in the lamb, providing a refreshing, botanical counterpoint to rich feta and buttery pastry.

Here are wines that will pair beautifully with this dish:

Tesco Finest Syrah, Australia — Tesco, £9.00
A brilliant budget red featuring dark berry fruit and savoury black pepper spice that marries seamlessly with cumin, coriander, and braised lamb.

M&S Collection Côtes du Rhône Villages — Marks & Spencer, £11.00
This mid-priced French classic delivers succulent red fruit, garrigue herbs, and warming spice notes tailored to rich Middle Eastern flavor profiles.

Yalumba Barossa Shiraz — Waitrose, £16.99
A luxurious premium Australian red offering plush plum, liquorice, and velvety tannins to stand up robustly to rose harissa and pine nuts.

* Prices checked October 2026 and may vary. The alternatives are our suggestions, not necessarily wines recommended by Olly Smith.

 

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