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We decided to make a warming chicken and mushroom pie tonight with a lovely flaky pastry top using the other half of the shop bought packet. I used two and a half of the chicken breasts, and roasted the other pieces for sandwiches in the week.

I also make some simple flapjack cooked in the microwave with half the porridge oats,  using a recipe I found when researching fuel poverty meals.

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Breakfast
Toast and Jam or porridge

Lunch
Leftover Hot & sour Chicken soup with Home made bread

Dinner
Chicken and Mushroom Pie with Mashed Potatoes, Carrots  and Peas

Snack
Flapjack

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RECIPES

Chicken Pie
(Adapted from Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals)

2 chicken breasts, with the extra bits from the other 2.
A knob of butter
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 finely chopped onion
100g mushrooms sliced
100g of frozen peas defrosted
1 heaped teaspoon plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
2 teaspoons English mustard
1 tablespoon Crème Fraîche
300ml chicken stock (cube or home made)
A few sprigs of fresh thyme or teaspoon of dried
1/2 The packet of pre-made puff/flaky pastry rolled out
1 egg or milk for glazing
Salt & pepper
Oil.

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Chop up the mushroom and onions and slice the chicken into chunks. Heat a lug of olive oil and a knob of butter in a pan over a medium heat, soften the onions for 5 minutes then gently brown the chicken for a few minutes with the chopped garlic.

Add the mushrooms to the pan with a tablespoon of plain flour and give it all a good stir. Mix in two teaspoons of English mustard, a generous tablespoon of Crème Fraîche and 300ml of chicken stock.

Next add some thyme leaves, the peas and season with sea salt and pepper. Leave simmering whilst you roll out your pastry on a floured work surface. Cut the pastry in quarters If you are making individual pies or just leave it whole for one.

Once your chicken filling has thickened up slightly, tip it into an ovenproof baking dish or dishes slightly smaller than the sheet of pastry. Cover the filling with the sheet of pastry; ruff up the edges, just tuck them in around the dish then glaze the top with either egg or milk.

Cook for about 25-30 minutes until piping hot. Serve with mashed potato and minted peas, making sure you make a little bit extra mash, for a cake recipe later in the week.

Serve with Mashed potato and some carrots and peas, making sure you make a little bit extra mash, for a cake recipe later in the week.