Prep. time: 40 minutes (+ 20 minutes if you chop the meat yourself)
Waiting time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Cooling time: Overnight

Try this delicious pie for your next brunch. It needs to made in advance, so on Sunday all you have to do is take it out of the fridge an hour ahead, and throw together a nice salad with an oil, strong mustard and prune juice dressing. 

Why three kinds of pork?
- loin for lean and texture
- chopped pork belly for tenderness
- smoked bakon for fat and flavor.

You can skip a step by using another type of pastry, such as that used for meat pies or pâté en croûte, if you have some on hand. 

Making the pastry

1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Pour the water into a saucepan, add the lard and simmer until melted.
3. Add the water to the flour bit by bit using a wooden spoon until it is cool enough to handle.
4. Once combined, knead gently on a floured surface until smooth.
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Filling

1. In a bowl, combine the pork loin and belly, streaky bacon, prunes, mace, thyme, salt and pepper.

Assembling

1. Remove the pastry from the fridge. Set aside about 1/3 for the pie lid. Wrap this back in cling film.
2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it is large enough to fit an 18 cm pie tin (it should be approx 2 mm thick). Leave a slight overhang around the edges. 
3. Once you have lined the pie dish (making sure there are no holes) fill it up to the top with the  filling.
4. Roll out the remaining pastry into a circle for the lid – place this on the pie and crimp together the edges.
5. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg and using a knife make a hole in the middle of the top to allow steam to escape.

Cooking & finishing

1. Bake in the oven at 180°C / 350°F for 2 hours.
2. Dissolve the gelatin leaves in 1 pint of boiling water along with the chicken stock cube.
3. Once the pie is out of the oven pour the stock mixture into the pie via the hole on the lid.
4. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating overnight.