Pies & Pastries

Festive Bake

Name: Festive Bake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 medium red onion, finely diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp butter; 3 tbsp cranberry sauce; 2 tsp balsamic vinegar; pinch salt; 1 tbsp dried cranberries, for extra chew (optional); 200g turkey, or chicken; 75g streaky bacon, diced; 25g butter; 25g plain flour; 175ml chicken, or turkey stock; 2 tbsp double cream; ½ tsp dried sage; ½ tsp dried thyme; Salt and Pepper to taste; 1 packet sage & onion stuffing mix, (prepared to packet directions); 1 sheet puff pastry, ready rolled; 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

I love Christmas. I love food. And I especially love eating far too much food at Christmas. What I’m not quite as sold on is how the word festive seems to be code for “we’ve added cranberry sauce - job done.” So, embracing the tradition with a wink, here’s my own take on the Greggs Festive Bake - cranberry included (you can leave it out if you like).

Published 5 months ago

At a glance

Prep: 35m – 45m
Cook: 20m – 30m
Serves: 4

Start Recipe Jump to Method

Ingredients

Red Onion - Cranberry Layer
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp cranberry sauce
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp dried cranberries, for extra chew (optional)
Meat Layer
- 200g turkey, or chicken
- 75g streaky bacon, diced
Creamy Sauce
- 25g butter
- 25g plain flour
- 175ml chicken, or turkey stock
- 2 tbsp double cream
- ½ tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Stuffing
- 1 packet sage & onion stuffing mix, (prepared to packet directions)
Pastry
- 1 sheet puff pastry, ready rolled
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

Make the Red Onion - Cranberry Mix

Heat butter/oil in a pan.
Add red onion and cook on medium-low for 8–10 minutes until soft and sweet.
Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
Stir in cranberry sauce and balsamic.
Simmer until thick, glossy, and jammy.
Season with a pinch of salt.
Set aside — this is your bottom layer.

Cook the Meat

In the same pan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside.
Add turkey/chicken to the bacon fat and fry until browned and cooked through.
Add bacon back in, mix to coat.
Remove all meat from pan and set aside, leaving the flavourful fond behind — this is key for the sauce.

Make the Creamy Sauce

Add butter to the same pan (plus any remaining fat).
Stir in flour to make a roux and cook 1 minute.
Add stock gradually while whisking.
Simmer until very thick - thicker than gravy.
Add cream, sage, thyme, black pepper, and salt to taste
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Combine Meat with Sauce

Mix the turkey/chicken + bacon with the thick creamy sauce.
The mixture should be well coated but not runny.

Prepare the Stuffing

Make stuffing per packet instructions.
Let it cool so it firms up.
Fluff or crumble lightly depending on preferred texture.

Assembly

Unroll the puff pastry sheet (approx. 40 cm × 24 cm) and cut it into 4 strips along the 40 cm side, giving strips 10 cm wide × 24 cm long.
On each strip: Leave a 1 cm gap around the edges. Brush this gap lightly with beaten egg — this helps seal the pastry. Spoon the fillings onto the bottom half of the pastry. Thin layer of red onion–cranberry mix. Layer of stuffing. Layer of creamy turkey bacon mixture.
Fold the top half of the strip over the filling. Press and crimp the edges to seal, a fork dipped in egg works well for this, cut a few steam slits, and brush with egg wash.