Traditional Scottish Hogmanay steak pie recipe for a New Year treat

There are many New Year's traditions that Scots partake in, both old and new, that will be celebrate all over the country tomorrow.

From the centuries-old custom of first footing to newer ways to celebrate such as the Loony Dook, there are plenty of ways to start off 2023 on a positive note.

One of the more interesting — and tasty — traditions is the eating of a steak pie on New Year's Day. While the exact origin of this is unknown, it's certainly the perfect hearty meal to cure a Hogmanay hangover.

One theory of why Scots started eating steak pies on January 1 supposes that families were too busy to cook after Hogmanay as it didn't used to be an official holiday, and so bought a pie at the local butcher to save time.

Whatever the reason, there is no denying that it is the perfect comfort food after a long night of celebrating, so we asked the team at Scotch Kitchen to provide an easy recipe for your own steak pie on the big day.

The combo of delicious flaky pastry, thick gravy, and incomparable Scotch beef is sure to please friends and family alike. Read on for the full recipe.

New Year's Day steak pie recipe

Steak pies are traditionally eaten on New Year's Day in Scotland, though the reason why isn't fully understood (JoeGough / Getty Images)

Ingredients

• 600g cubed lean Scotch Beef PGI braising steak
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 40 ml rapeseed oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 50g tomato purée
• 35 ml Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 beef stock cube
• 500 ml boiling water
• 375g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
• Sea salt
• 1 medium egg yolk
• 24 cm round pie dish

Method

1. Peel, half and finely chop the onions, heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meat and the onions.
2. Transfer to a saucepan, add the boiling water, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, bay leaf, tomato purée and crumble over the stock cube.
3. Season with salt, bring to the boil then cover and simmer for an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
5. Put the meat and gravy into the pie dish.
6. Unroll the pastry and trim to fit over the top of the dish. Use the trimmings to decorate the top.
7. With a pastry brush glaze the top of the pie with the egg yolk.
8. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.

You can find this recipe and more like it at ScotchKitchen.com

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