Merchant Gourmet

Instructions

1. Pour boiling water over the spinach and leave for 30 – 60 seconds, straining and rinsing under ice cold water. Drain and pat the spinach dry with a paper towel or cloth to get as dry as possible
2. Add olive oil to a heated frying pan, and on a medium-high heat, add in the onions and fry for 2-3 minutes until translucent
3. Add in garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes until they release their flavour, followed by the thyme sprigs, salt, pepper and butter
4. Add in the roughly but thinly chopped mushrooms and dry off until they reduce in size for about 8-10 minutes
5. Season to taste and discard any excess liquid and leave the mixture to cool
6. Once the puff pastry block has been out of the refrigerator for 20 minutes, place it on a floured surface and roll out to the thickness of about a £1 coin. Preheat your oven to 180°C
7. You will want to cut out two sizes of discs; the smaller size at approximately 10cm and the larger at approximately 12cm (the larger will be the top case for the pie)
8. Chop the chestnuts and add into the mushroom mix along with the spinach and cheese
9. Place a few tablespoons of mixture onto the middle smaller disc and using a pastry brush, dab the outer section with a little cornflour and water mix, then placing the larger disc atop. Ensure you have no air entrapped, and seal, finally pressing the edges all the way around with a fork. Repeat until you are complete
10. Glaze the pies with the other tablespoon of olive oil and place the pies onto a lined baking tray and into the preheated oven and cook until golden or for about 25 minutes