Make a Fish Pie (Cod, Smoked Haddock and Eggs)

This fish pie is homely, warming and a bit of a treat!

Use the freshest fish you can get – we buy ours from the local fisherman. Serves a very hungry four.

I poach 2 portions each (400g each) of fresh cod and smoked haddock, in a pint of whole milk to which I’d added some peppercorns   and half an onion cut up. You’ll only need to cook the fish for a few minutes.

I also hard boiled two eggs. The fish was drained and flaked (saving the milk for the sauce) and the eggs were peeled and quartered – all arranged in an ovenproof dish. You can pop a few frozen prawns on if you like at this point.

Peel 750g floury potatoes and cook in boiling water until soft.

Then using the flavoured milk I made a white sauce: Melt 50g butter in a saucepan and add 50g plain flour, beating well until smooth.

Add the warm milk a couple of tablespoons at a time, stirring and then beating well over the heat and ensuring the mixture is smooth before you add any more milk. When all the milk is added, bubble for a while to cook the flour and season to taste with salt and pepper (make sure you taste!)

Add a handful of roughly chopped parsley to the sauce and stir. Also grate in some nutmeg if you like it. Pour the sauce over the fish.

Mash the potatoes with some butter, seasoning. When mashed stir in a glug of milk with a wooden spoon to make them smooth.

Carefully spoon the potato over the fish and join up the spoonfuls with careful fork strokes so as not to disturb the sauce. Decorate the top with a fork and make a fish shape if you like.

Bake in a hot oven (200 deg C) for half an hour so the sauce bubbles up and the top is crispy.

Persuade your son the green bits are special alien dust which will make him powerful

The end.