As the summer rolls on, it can become increasingly tricky to think up new and different ideas for picnics and days out. Ideally, you want something that everyone will like, that won't take a world of time, or complicated ingredients, to make. If you fancy a change from the usual scotch eggs and sausage rolls, these little pastries are a great addition to the family picnic basket. They travel well and are surprisingly easy to make. You can also mess about with the fillings, to create vegetarian or other options, depending on what everyone likes. If you are not keen on leeks, try mushrooms instead, just peel and chop, then add instead of the leeks. You could also substitute the bacon and have leek and mushoom for vegetatarians.
You will need:
250g Lean Bacon, roughly chopped
2-4 Leeks, depending on size
2tbsp Fresh Single Cream
100g Grated Cheese
1 pkt Short Crust Pastry
Chop the leeks thinly and blanch for a few minutes in boiling water.
Fry bacon for a few minutes in a little oil until cooked through.
Mix bacon and leeks together in a bowl and add the cream. Mix well.
Roll out pastry to half an inch thickness, then cut out three inch rounds.
Place rounds in a well greased bun tin.
Add a tablespoon of mixture to each round and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in a moderate (200C) oven for about 20 mins until golden and crispy.
For a meat-free option, substitute the bacon for mushrooms.
You can add pastry lids with a smaller cutter to make them easier to pack for picnics.
These look delicious -great for school lunch boxes too
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