For the filling
6 medium apples (I used 3 braeburn and 3 granny smith)
100g soft light brown sugar
3 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp lemon juice
For the pastry
175g unsalted butter
350g plain flour
A generous pinch of salt
125g mature cheddar cheese, grated
50g soft light brown sugar
4 tbsp cold water
1 egg yolk, beaten with a tbsp of milk to glaze
Extra cheddar, to top
1 Peel, core and thickly slice the apples. Toss with the sugar, cornflour and
lemon juice and set aside while you prepare the pastry. Preheat the oven to
200C/400F/gas mark 6.
2 Rub the butter into the flour in a large bowl. Work quickly and lightly using
only your fingertips too much warmth will leave the pastry greasy. As soon as
all the fat has been rubbed in, add the salt, cheddar and sugar and stir to
combine. Pour in the water and use a knife to cut the liquid into the dry
mixture, adding a drop more water if a lot of dry flour is left at the bottom
of the bowl. Once the mixture has begun to clump together, gather it into a
ball.
3 If the pastry s too sticky to roll, pat it into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and
leave to chill and firm in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Otherwise, cut
straight to rolling: divide the dough into two portions, one piece slightly
larger than the other. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger piece out
to a thickness of 3-5mm so it s large enough to line a 27-29cm-round glass or
ceramic pie dish. Transfer the pastry to the dish, press gently into the sides
and trim any excess.
4 Add the apple filling. Roll the small piece of pastry out to a similar
thickness and cut to a circle for the pie lid. Drape the pastry lid over the
filling and press it into the pie edge, crimping together to seal. Pierce a
couple of holes in the lid to allow steam to escape.
5 Bake the pie for 30 minutes in the preheated oven before brushing the egg
yolk glaze over the top and sprinkling with a little extra grated cheddar.
Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Leave to cool slightly before slicing and
serving.