Finely chop the leaves of the three corned leek, chop the potatoes and grease your pie dish.
Put the white fish and smoked haddock in a saucepan and cover with milk. Add pepper and a sprig of parsley. Bring gently to a simmer on a medium hob and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Cook the potatoes in a pan of salted water until tender for 15 - 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a saucepan add 25g of butter and 20g of flour, the onion and double cream to start off a roux.
Strain the poached fish and set aside the liquor.
Remove the skin from the poached fish. Check for bones then flake the fish and put aside.
Add a little of the fish liquor to the roux to make a white sauce with a creamy consistency (you’ll need about 170 ml). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the finely chopped leaves of the three corned leek.
Mash the potatoes then lightly combine the fish, potato and sauce.
Spread this mixture into a dish and level it off.
Push the sardines into the fish mix so the heads are sticking up in a rough pattern.
Make a pastry dough by sieving the flour. Rub in the suet, butter and a pinch of salt until crumbly. Add a little cold water and mix to a dough.
Roll out the pastry on a well floured board to about 3mm thick and big enough to cover the pie dish.
Crumble the cheese over the top of the filling then carefully place the pastry over the pie filling. Trim around the edges then, using a sharp knife, cut through the pastry where the sardine heads are sticking up and pull the heads through the pastry.
Beat the egg and brush the whole top of the pie. Bake in the preheated oven for approx 35 minutes. The pastry crust should cook to a light golden brown.
To make the chutney:
Pour the vinegar and the same amount of water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Add the cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cayenne, cumin and 2 tbsp sugar. Stir then simmer for 10minutes to infuse.
Dice two rhubarb sticks and add to the syrup. Cook down gently for a further 10 minutes.
Melt the butter in a small frying pan. Chop the remaining stem of rhubarb into chunks about 2cm long. Gently sauté the chunks in the butter until nearly tender (for about 5 minutes).
Sprinkle the rhubarb chunks with some sugar and caramelise (but do not over cook).
Sieve the vinegar spiced syrup then return the sieved syrup to the pan and keep on a low heat.
Add the chopped crystallised ginger and caramelised rhubarb chunks and warm through. Reserve and keep warm until ready to serve with the hot pie.
PLATING UP Serve the pie with a pot of rhubarb chutney, a slice of crusty bread and a slice of lemon.
