Petits pâtés de Pézenas

Step 1: Mix 14 oz lamb shoulder mince, 1 ¾ oz soft light brown sugar, 1 unwaxed lemon, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp grated nutmeg in a bowl with your hands until well combined. Cover and chill while you make the pastry.

Step 2: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Put 14 oz plain flour and 1 tsp salt in a bowl.

Step 3: Bring 4 oz butter and ¾ cup water to the boil in a small pan, until the butter has melted. Pour it onto the flour and stir with a wooden spoon, then knead briefly into a smooth, warm dough.

Step 4: Keep a quarter of the dough covered for the lids. Divide the rest into 12 pieces and roll each one into a strip about 16 cm long and 5 cm high. Wrap each strip round a 4 cm glass or cutter base and pinch the seam, then press out a small disc of dough for each base and seal it on. Keep the dough walls about 4 mm thick: thinner walls collapse in the oven, which is the usual reason these pies lose their spool shape. The usual mistake is letting the pastry cool before shaping: it then cracks at the joins, so keep the unused dough covered and warm.

Step 5: Fill each case with the lamb mixture, pressing it down lightly. Roll out the reserved dough, cut 12 lids slightly smaller than the cases, press them onto the filling and pinch the edges. Make a small hole in each lid.

Step 6: Brush with 1 egg and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden and the filling bubbles through the hole. The filling should reach 160°F in the centre.

Step 7: Leave for 5 minutes to settle, then serve warm.