Cyder with Eloise

Fidget, Fitchett, Fitchet or Figet

I started to look into Fidget pies when I read this article in the Guardian.

There seem to be any number of versions of Fidget Pie, and many regions claim it as their own most notably Shropshire, however according to most of my research the town of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire is the most famous for it.

The website: www.greatbritishkitchen.co.uk has two recipes listed; Huntingdon & Shropshire that vary slightly.

This locally named dish may come as a surprise to many residents of Huntingdon.  I had heard of Fidget pie but never made the connection to the town before. That is probably because I can’t remember the last time Huntingdon had a Fidget flinging contest or any other strange tradition associated with regional delicacies.  The town council I think have missed a trick here, were they visited by Robbie Coltrane’s: B-Road Britain for the opening of the Fidget Festival on his way to Stilton for the cheese rolling, did I miss Rick Stein celebrating Fidget’s on his food heroes tour of Britain, as usual Huntingdon has been passed by; by many on the A1 heading north.

There are several explanations for the origin of the pie’s name.
The pie was originally made as five-sided or ‘fitched’. Some say it is because the different ingredients traditionally Pork & Apple would move around or ‘fidget’ inside the pie, or it could be because of the origin of the word fidget that may have come about as a reference to fitchett – a slang word for apple.

The Fidget was traditionally served to workers during harvest time in a similar fashion to a pasty or clanger and as the pie itself can not be found for sale anywhere in the town I am going to have to make my own.

We tested a few different flavours including adding cinnamon and cloves which go well with gammon and apples, but the below recipe I believe is more traditional with herbs that would have been more readily available. I have made these pasty style with short crust pastry, but you could serve it in a pie dish with some puff pastry.

There has been a recent growth in the local cider industry so I used Porkers Snout from the Pickled Pig company but another good local brand is Cromwell’s.

Makes 8 fidgets.

Gammon
600g gammon
1.5 litres cider
1 onion halved
4 cloves
1 bay leaf

Short Crust Pastry
225g plain flour – sifted
Pinch of salt
50g lard – cubed
50g butter – cubed
1 cup cold water

Filling
50g butter
1 onion (approx 75g), finely chopped
1 large potato (approx 250g), peeled & diced into approx 2-3mm cubes
200ml cider
1 large cooking apple (approx 250g), peeled & diced into approx 2-3mm cubes
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
Salt & pepper
Egg white

Method
Put the gammon, onion, cloves and bay leaf in a large stock pot. Cover with the cider and bring to the boil, simmer for 1 hour (or 1 hour per 1kg + 20 mins).

While the gammon is cooking you can make the pastry. Rub the lard & butter into the flour and salt to until the mixture is like fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle enough water over the crumbs to bring the pastry together, but not too wet. Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate until required.

Remove the gammon from the cider and leave to cool slightly, you should now be able to use two forks to shred the meat, or chop into small cubes approx 1cm.
Preheat the oven to Gas 5.

Heat the butter in a frying pan (if you have a pan with a lid that would be preferable, or like me you can use a lid from another pan of a similar size). Soften the onions and then add the potatoes, if the pan is a little dry add as much cider as you need to keep the potatoes cooking without browning. Fry until the potatoes start to soften and then add the apple, add the remaining cider and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. After 10 minutes add the seasoning and gammon, the cider should now have formed a thick gravy coating all the ingredients, if it is still a little thin then simmer without the lid until reduced while checking the seasoning, add more as required.

Roll out the pastry into approximately 8 disks 20cm in diameter, about as thick as a £1 coin. Brush the edges with some milk which will help the pastry seal. Spoon some of the filling (approx 2-3 tablespoon) on to half of the disk. Fold the other half of the disk over the filling and press the edges firmly together. Turn the edges over to form a crimp all along the edge. Brush the pastry with the egg white and using a knife a cut a small air hole in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape while cooking. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, check after about 20 minutes to make sure the pastry is not browning too much and if you need to then cover them lightly with tin foil.

This is a variation on the pie made with pears and sausages: http://www.lovepork.co.uk/recipes/recipe/fidget-pies