Hannah's Yorkshire Christmas Pie
There are few recipes in Hannah Glasse's original Art of Cookery that relate specifically to Christmas, but the following receipt for a pie mentions it was given now, when it was sliced thinly 'for a supper dish'. I love the idea of all these enormous pies (at a rough guess, 80lbs) 'winging' their way South on the roof of a coach.
To make a Yorkshire Christmas pie.
First make a good standing crust, let the wall and bottom be very thick; bone a turkey, a goose, a fowl, a partridge, and a pidgeon. Season them all very well, talk half an ounce of mace, half an ounce of nutmegs, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, and half an ounce of black pepper, all beat fine together, two-large spoonfuls of salt, and then mix them together. Open the fowls all down the back, and bone them; first the pigeon, then the partridge, cover them; then the fowl, then the goose, and then the turkey, which must be large; season them all well first and lay them in the crust, so as it will look only like a whole turkey; then have a hare already eased (skinned), and wipe with a clean cloth. Cut it to pieces; that it, joint it; season it, and lay is as close as you can on one side; on the other side woodcocks, moor game and what sort of wild fowl you can get. Season them well, and lay them close; put at least four pounds of butter into the pie, then lay on your lid, which must be a very thick one and let it be well baked. It must have a very hot oven, and will take at least four hours.
This crust will take a bushel of flour. In this chapter you will see how to make it. These pies are often sent to London in a box as presents; therefore the walls must be well-built.
