Jerry burns chicken and leek pot pie

Serves 4

There's nothing nicer than a good chicken pie. Gallagher first tasted this served at Kate O'Brien's in San Francisco and had written down the recipe before he even left the table.

Obviously you can make your own puff pastry, but the frozen shop-bought variety is a good alternative and can save a good deal of time.

1 tablespoon olive oil
450g skinless chicken breast fillets, diced
50g leeks, cut into 2.5cm slices
50g shallots, sliced
50g potatoes, diced
75ml double cream, plus a little extra for glazing
450g puff pastry, thawed if frozen, plus a little plain flour for dusting

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Heat a large pan. Add the olive oil and sauté the chicken for a couple of minutes until just tender and lightly browned.

Add the leeks to the pan with the shallots and potatoes, then season generously and cook gently for 6-8 minutes or until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through, stirring occasionally to ensure that the potatoes don't stick to the pan.

Pour the cream into the pan, bring to a simmer and then cook gently for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and slightly thickened.

Pour into a 1.2 litre pie dish and allow to cool completely. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured board and cut a thin strip off the edge of the pastry, brush with a little water and press it on to the rim of the pie dish to help form a crust.

Stamp out 6cm circles from the remaining pastry with a straight-sided cutter. Brush the rim with a little more water and use the pastry circles to cover the filling completely, using a little water to help the circles stick together as you go.

Using a sharp knife, make some incisions into the pastry and brush with a little cream to help form a glaze. Place the pie in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown.

Bring the pie to the table and serve straight from the dish on warmed serving plates with some buttered peas.