Lancashire Cheese and Onion Pie

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

• Yield: 8 servings (23 cm / 9-inch pie)
• Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus 45 minutes chilling)
• Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Quick Ingredients

• 350 g plain flour (2 3/4 cups)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 150 g cold unsalted butter + 50 g lard, cubed (or 200 g butter)
• 1 large egg yolk + 3–5 tbsp ice water
• 750 g onions, thinly sliced
• 25 g butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp English mustard + 1 tsp thyme (optional)
• 350 g Lancashire cheese, coarsely grated
• 1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
• 2 large eggs + 100 ml whole milk + 50 ml double cream
• Nutmeg (pinch), black pepper, small pinch of salt
• 1 beaten egg + 1 tsp milk for egg wash

Do This

• 1) Rub flour, salt, butter and lard to crumbs; add yolk and ice water to form a dough. Divide 60/40, chill 30 minutes.
• 2) Slowly sweat onions in butter and oil with a pinch of salt 25–30 minutes; stir in mustard and thyme; cool.
• 3) Toss grated Lancashire with cornflour. Whisk eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg, pepper.
• 4) Roll larger dough to line a 23 cm pie tin; chill 15 minutes. Heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F with a baking sheet inside.
• 5) Mix onions with the egg mixture. Layer half the cheese, the onion mixture, then the remaining cheese. Top with second pastry, crimp, vent, egg wash.
• 6) Bake on the hot sheet 20 min; reduce to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F and bake 25–30 min until deep golden. Rest 20 min, slice, serve with pickle and salad.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Classic northern comfort: tangy, crumbly Lancashire cheese with jammy sweet onions.
• Proper shortcrust, bronzed and flaky, with a crisp bottom thanks to a preheated tray.
• Budget-friendly staples that feel special enough for Sunday lunch.
• Great warm or at room temperature; travels well for picnics and potlucks.

Grocery List

• Produce: 750 g yellow onions, fresh thyme (optional), salad leaves (watercress or little gem), radishes (optional)
• Dairy: Lancashire cheese (350 g), unsalted butter, whole milk, double cream, eggs
• Pantry: Plain flour, fine sea salt, black pepper, cornflour/cornstarch, olive oil, English mustard, ground nutmeg (optional), lard or extra butter, Branston pickle or piccalilli

Full Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

• 350 g plain flour (2 3/4 cups)
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 150 g cold unsalted butter, cubed (5.3 oz)
• 50 g cold lard, cubed (1.8 oz), or use 50 g more butter for a vegetarian pie
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3–5 tbsp ice-cold water (45–75 ml), as needed

Onion and Cheese Filling

• 750 g yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 5 medium)
• 25 g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme (optional)
• 1 tsp English mustard (ready-made)
• 350 g Lancashire cheese, coarsely grated (12 oz)
• 1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch (about 8 g)
• 2 large eggs
• 100 ml whole milk (3.5 fl oz)
• 50 ml double cream/heavy cream (1.7 fl oz)
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
• 1/4–1/2 tsp fine sea salt, to taste (cheese is salty)
• Freshly ground black pepper

To Finish & Serve

• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tsp milk (for egg wash)
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper, to sprinkle
• Branston pickle or piccalilli
• Crisp green salad (watercress or little gem), simple mustard vinaigrette optional

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Make the pastry

In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt. Rub the cold butter and lard into the flour with fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Stir in the egg yolk. Drizzle in ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough just clumps. Divide into two pieces (one slightly larger for the base), flatten into discs, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Slow-sweat the onions

Heat butter and olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook 10 minutes to soften, stirring once. Uncover and continue to cook 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are pale gold and jammy, not darkly caramelised. Stir in thyme and English mustard. Spread on a plate to cool to room temperature.

Step 3: Prepare cheese and custard

Toss the grated Lancashire with the cornflour; this helps prevent a greasy or weepy filling. In a jug, whisk eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg (if using), several grinds of black pepper, and a small pinch of salt. Set both aside.

Step 4: Line the tin and preheat

Place a heavy baking sheet on the middle rack and heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F / Gas 6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger dough disc to a 30 cm circle. Line a 23 cm (9-inch) pie tin, letting the pastry overhang by about 1 cm. Chill the lined tin 15 minutes. Roll the second disc to about 26 cm for the lid and keep chilled.

Step 5: Fill and seal

Stir the cooled onions into the egg-milk mixture. Sprinkle half the cheese over the pastry-lined base. Pour in the onion mixture. Top evenly with the remaining cheese. Lay on the pastry lid, trim excess, then fold and crimp to seal. Cut 3–4 small steam vents. Brush with egg wash and, if you like, decorate with pastry trimmings; brush those too.

Step 6: Bake until bronzed and set

Set the pie tin on the preheated baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes at 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F, then reduce to 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F / Gas 4 and bake 25–30 minutes more. The pie is done when the top is deep golden, the vents bubble slightly, and the centre feels softly set.

If the top colours too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the final 10 minutes.

Step 7: Rest, slice and serve

Cool on a rack for 20 minutes to allow the filling to settle. Slice with a serrated knife. Serve warm with a generous spoon of Branston pickle or piccalilli and a crisp green salad.

Pro Tips

• For a crisp bottom, always bake the pie on a thoroughly preheated baking sheet or pizza stone.
• Keep everything cold when making pastry; visible little butter pockets mean flakier layers.
• Tossing the cheese with cornflour prevents oily pooling and helps the custard set neatly.
• Season lightly—Lancashire is naturally salty; you can always add a pinch of flaky salt when serving.
• Chill the assembled pie 10–15 minutes before baking for the sharpest crimp and best layering.

Variations

• Leek and Onion: Swap half the onions for thinly sliced leeks; cook them together gently until sweet and soft.
• Cheese Swap: Use Cheshire or Wensleydale for a similarly crumbly, tangy result if Lancashire is unavailable.
• Top-only Pie: Use a sturdy enamel dish, fill directly, and cap with a single sheet of pastry for a faster, rustic version.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Pastry dough keeps 2 days in the fridge or 2 months frozen. The cooked onions can be refrigerated up to 3 days. The baked pie keeps 3 days chilled; reheat slices at 160°C/320°F for 12–15 minutes. Freeze baked slices, well wrapped, for up to 2 months; reheat from frozen at 170°C/340°F for 20–25 minutes. To freeze unbaked: assemble, egg-wash later, freeze solid, wrap, then bake from frozen at 200°C/180°C fan for 25 minutes, reduce to 180°C/160°C fan and continue 35–40 minutes (cover if browning too fast).

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate values: 610 kcal; 41 g fat; 40 g carbohydrates; 14 g protein; 2 g fibre; 1.6 g salt. Values will vary with cheese and exact ingredients.