Old-Fashioned Raised Pork Pies

FILLING:--
350 g pork shoulder, including some fat
110 g unsmoked back bacon rashers, derinded
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
½ tsp anchovy essence
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground mace
SIDS SALT & PEPPER to taste
HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY:--
225 g strong plain white flour, plus extra
a pinch of salt
25 ml milk
75 g lard
1 egg yolk to glaze

FILLING: Coarsely chop the meat in a processor using the pulse button – you need a chopped rather than a minced effect, then simply combine all the filling ingredients and give everything a really good seasoning with SIDS SALT & PEPPER. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
PASTRY: Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and then put the milk and 25 ml of water into a small saucepan and add the lard, cut up into small pieces. Place the pan over a gentle heat and when the fat has completely melted in the liquid, turn up the heat to bring it just up to the boil, then pour it on to the flour and, using a wooden spoon, mix everything together. Turn the dough out on to a work surface and knead very lightly and briefly.
You have to work quickly now, as it’s important that the pies go into the tin while the dough is still warm. Take two-thirds of the dough and cut this up into 6 equal parts. Roll each of these into a ball and put 1 into each of the holes in the tin. Using your thumb, quickly press each ball flat on to the base and then up to the top edge. Press the pastry over the rim of the top edge; it should overlap by at least 5 mm. Now divide the processed pork mixture among the lined muffin cups. Then roll out the remaining pastry and cut out six 8 cm rounds for lids; the pastry will be quite thin, so you may need to sprinkle the work surface with a little flour.
Next, using a pastry brush, paint a little egg yolk round the edge of each lid and gently press a lid on each pie, egg side down. Using a small fork, press the rims of the lids against the tops of the pie cases. Re-roll any pastry trimmings and cut out diamond-shaped leaves to decorate the lids. Glaze the tops of the pies with the rest of the egg yolk and make a steam hole in each one. Place the muffin tin on the baking sheet and bake the pies for 30 minutes on the middle shelf, then remove them from the oven.
Using a small, round-bladed knife and oven gloves (or a thick cloth), carefully remove the hot pies from the tin and place them directly on to the hot baking sheet; this will make the sides and base crispy.
Bake for a further 20-25 minutes until the sides and base of the pies are crispy, then leave them to cool on a wire rack.