Homity Pie is a traditional British vegetarian open pie with a filling of potatoes, onions and leeks and a cheesy topping.

I have given it a new twist here by adding a lattice cheese pastry top similar to the one I used on my Sussex Pie. I think the extra pastry and cheese improves the look and taste of the pie!

The pastry I used for my original test recipes was 100% wholemeal but I found it rather heavy so I went for 50% plain and 50% wholemeal flour and I think this is a good compromise.

Popularity of Homity Pie

Homity Pie gained popularity in the 1960s as it fitted perfectly into the vegetarian wholefoods trend of the time. You would have found it on the menu at Cranks, a chain of vegetarian wholefood restaurants opened in Carnaby Street in London in 1961. Cranks was a major promoter of vegetarianism during this time and well beyond. It closed its last restaurant in 2016.

Cranks opened around seven or eight branches in mainly London and the south west of England. In fact my first ever taste of Homity Pie was at their restaurant in Dartington in Devon in the 1990s!

Ingredients you will need to make Homity Pie

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Cheese Pastry

Filling

• 1 ½ pounds / 700 grams pre-boiled potatoes (I used King Edwards)
• 2 ounces / 60 grams butter

• 2 small or 1 large onion chopped

• 2 small or 1 large leek sliced

• 1 bunch spring onions cut into small pieces (about 3-4 ounces / 90-115 grams in weight)

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (1 ounce / 30 grams)

• 6 ounces / 170 grams grated cheese ( I used a mature cheddar)

• 7 fluid ounces / 200 mls double cream

Directions

Cheese Pastry

1. Mix the flours and mustard powder.
2. Add the butter, cut into small pieces and rub into the flour and mustard powder until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the grated cheese.
4. Add 2½ tablespoons of water and mix with a knife until the mixture clumps together. Then bring it together into a ball using your hands.
5. Chill for about 30 minutes.

Filling

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and add the chopped onions. Sprinkle with a little salt, cover and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until they start to soften.
2. Add the sliced leeks and stir into the onions. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes until both are softened.
3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
4. Cut the pre-boiled potatoes into smallish pieces and mix with the onions and leeks in a large bowl.
5. Add the grated cheese, chopped parsley, spring onions and cream and mix together.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Allow to cool to room temperature.

To Make the Pie

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas mark 6 and place a baking tray on a centre shelf.
2. Grease a 9 inch / 23 cm loose bottomed flan tin with a little butter.
3. Roll out half the pastry and use to line the tin.
4. Fill with the prepared cooled filling.
5. Roll out the remaining pastry and cut 10 strips approximately 10 inches / 25 cm long and 1 inch / 2.5 cm wide.
6. Brush the pastry edge of the filled pie with beaten egg and place the strips of pastry to form a lattice top for the pie.
7. Trim any excess pastry and press the edges down.
8. Brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and place in the oven onto the heated baking tray.
9. Cook for approximately 45 minutes until golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes before removing from the baking tin.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.
12. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Equipment you will need to make Homity Pie

Apart from the usual kitchen items and tools you will need a 9 inch / 23 cm loose bottomed flan tin.

Homity Pie

Recipe by Scones Plus More Course: MainCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy to Moderate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Resting time for Pastry

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

45

minutes

Ingredients

• Cheese Pastry

• 4 ounces / 115 grams / ½ cup wholemeal flour

• 4 ounces / 115 grams / ½ cup plain flour

• 4 ounces / 115 grams / ½ cup grated cheese (mature cheddar)

• ½ teaspoon mustard powder

• 4 ounces / 115 grams / ½ cup butter (salted)

• 2½ tablespoons cold water

• Filling

• 1 ½ pounds / 700 grams pre-boiled potatoes (I used King Edwards)

• 2 ounces / 60 grams butter

• 2 small or 1 large onion chopped

• 2 small or 1 large leek sliced

• 1 bunch spring onions cut into small pieces (about 3-4 ounces / 90-115 grams in weight)

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (1 ounce / 30 grams)

• 6 ounces / 170 grams grated cheese ( I used a mature cheddar)

• 7 fluid ounces / 200 mls double cream

Directions

• Cheese Pastry
• Mix the flours and mustard powder.
• Add the butter, cut into small pieces and rub into the flour and mustard powder until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the grated cheese.
• Add 2½ tablespoons of water and mix with a knife until the mixture clumps together. Then bring it together into a ball using your hands.
• Chill for about 30 minutes.
• Filling
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and add the chopped onions. Sprinkle with a little salt, cover and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until they start to soften.
• Add the sliced leeks and stir into the onions. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes until both are softened.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Cut the pre-boiled potatoes into smallish pieces and mix with the onions and leeks in a large bowl.
• Add the grated cheese, chopped parsley, spring onions and cream and mix together.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Allow to cool to room temperature.
• To Make the Pie
• Pre-heat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas mark 6 and place a baking tray on a centre shelf.
• Grease a 9 inch / 23 cm loose bottomed flan tin with a little butter.
• Roll out half the pastry and use to line the tin.
• Fill with the prepared cooled filling.
• Roll out the remaining pastry and cut 10 strips approximately 10 inches / 25 cm long and 1 inch / 2.5 cm wide.
• Brush the pastry edge of the filled pie with beaten egg and place the strips of pastry to form a lattice top for the pie.
• Trim any excess pastry and press the edges down.
• Brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and place in the oven onto the heated baking tray.
• Cook for approximately 45 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes before removing from the baking tin.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Serving Homity Pie

I like Homity Pie warm with a salad but it works equally well cold with a salad. I also tried some leftover pie the other day with some homemade chunky chips and vegetables and it was perfect!

Some musings on the origins of Homity Pie

The origins of Homity Pie are unclear but one popular theory attributes it to the Land Girls of WW2 – women who replaced male farm workers fighting in the war in order to boost Britain’s food production. Some people also call it Devon Pie, believing it be an English countryside pie created in Devon.

I believe that both of these theories could be right. Most farms would have been able to produce cheese and cream during WW2, especially farms in Devon, so could Homity Pie have been created by Land Girls in Devon?

On the other hand homity is such an unusual word – why would it have been called this? Could it refer to home or homeliness?

Could Homity simply be the surname of the person or family that first came up with the pie? Was there a Land Girl called Homity who worked on a farm in Devon? This surname theory of mine definitely needs more investigation – I found twenty-eight separate records for Homity at Ancestry.co.uk but these referred to records from the United States.

Maybe we will never know. If you have any thoughts on this please do leave a comment.