Fish Wellington

Same as for Beef Wellington, except use a firm-fleshed white fish instead, something like cod or halibut. The fish goes into the pastry uncooked and will cook in the oven.

Beef Wellington

Sear either a beef tenderloin or individual steaks - they will continue to cook in the oven so you don't want them fully cooked at this stage.

Roll out puff pastry.

Fry a finely-chopped onion and some finely-chopped mushrooms. When cooked, stir in some smooth pate, then a dollop of cream and mix thoroughly. When the mixture has cooled, spread onto the middle of the pastry and set the beef on top. Fold the pastry over to make a parcel (or individual parcels), and bake until the pastry is puffed up and browned.

Seafood oggies

This is a recipe we plagiarized from a pub near Bristol. An oggie is a kind of pasty, but our version uses puff pastry for a lighter finish than the traditional shortcrust pastry. We also cheat, and buy frozen blocks of pastry. A block of approx. 400g makes 4 individual parcels.

Make a thick Roux sauce (melt butter, stir in and cook flour, then whisk in milk until you reach the desired consistency). Add a spoonful of concentrated chicken stock for flavor. While the sauce is cooking, add what you want in the way of fish and seafood. We usually keep it simple, with some diced cod steaks and peeled shrimp, but you can add things like squid and scallops if you want. You should end up with a thick sauce loaded with fish & seafood.

Cut the pastry into blocks - about 4oz/100g per person - and roll out into rectangles. Brush milk onto the edges of each rectangle, spoon the seafood mix onto one half, and fold the other half over. Use a fork to seal the edges, and brush the top with milk.

Pop into the oven on a baking tray and cook at a medium/high heat until puffed and browned - about 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve with veg or salad.