Easy Scottish Macaroni Pie Recipe

Lightly oil the pie tins or jam jars/glasses. You can also cover the jars/glasses in cling film to stop the pastry sticking.

Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle.

Cut the lard into small cubes and add to a pot of hot but not boiling water. You don't want it to boil so keep an eye on it and keep stirring.

When the lard has melted pour the mixture into the flour well and mix together with a wooden spoon. Turn it out onto a well-floured surface and knead a little, adding extra flour if it's sticky. You'll need to work reasonably quickly as the pastry cools.

Divide the pastry into even balls, the amount of these depends on the size of the tins or jars/glasses you plan to use. We made four good-sized pies and had pastry to spare.

For pie tins, roll each ball our to about 5mm depth and about 20cm width and put in the pie tins. Run a knife along the top edge of the tin removing any excess pastry to give a straight edge to the top of the crust.

For glasses/jars, roll out the pastry as above, but then put over the bottom of the greased/cling filmed jar or glass. Mould the pastry to fit the jar and then cut around for a straight top to the pastry case.

Put all of the pastry in the fridge to harden for about 30 minutes while you make the macaroni. You can leave it overnight if you want to.

Boil the macaroni for around 8-10 minutes in a large pot until just cooked. Drain and set aside.

In another pot, melt the butter. Add in the flour and continue to stir or whisk the mixture until it starts to froth up, which should be around a minute.

Remove from the heat and slowly add in the milk while still stirring.

Return to the heat and bring to the boil while continuously stirring so it doesn't stick.

The mixture should start to thicken, you can then turn down to simmer and add the cheese. Continue to stir so it melts into the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and add mustard if you like for some extra flavour.

Turn your oven on to 180°C or 356°F to preheat (fan oven).

Take the pie casings out of the fridge. If they're on jars/glasses you'll need to work them off gently before the next step.

If you're adding haggis or another variation you can put that in the pie case or mix with the macaroni first.

Fill the cases with the macaroni cheese, not right to the top but almost. You can squish it down gently with a spoon so that it's fairly compact.

Sprinkle a little grated cheese across the top of the pies.

If you're not using tins, tie baking paper and string around cases and then put them in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes. They may need a little less or longer depending on the size. The pastry should be a nice golden brown colour when they're ready.