Millennial Hunter Gatherer: Apple Pie with Cinnamon Sugar Topping

Sometimes Hunter Gathering opportunities come along when you least expect them.

The end of September saw glorious blue skies and warm mild weather, which tempted me out to visit a local National Trust property.

In the sheltered walled garden at The Vyne, there are several fruit trees, and I discovered that windfall apples, pears, and walnuts were available to buy.

It being Apple Day, I scooped up five cooking apples for just £10 each, in a variety that I’d not tried before, the Bramley being fairly ubiquitous in the supermarkets.

Frogmore Prolific was described as “sweet, pleasantly flavoured," which is perfect for a pie.

The five cooking apples were just the right quantity for my apple pie recipe, but in my smugness at having judged the weight so well, I got carried away and used a pie dish that was too large!

Despite both the pastry and the filling being spread more thinly than I’d have liked, the pie was delicious, and I wouldn’t be a hunter-gatherer if I didn’t make the best of such situations and enjoy the pie anyway. The Frogmore Prolific apples were delicate, complex, and slightly more floral than your typical Bramley, but not overpowering. I’ll definitely be heading to The Vyne at the same time next year to buy a few more, and next time, I’ll take a bit more cash with me.

And in case you’re wondering, I snapped the pie when it was cold and easier to cut, for a more appealing photo. Because, who spends time faffing about with a camera when there’s hot apple pie to eat?

Ingredients

Pastry

• 220g self raising flour
• 110g salted butter

Filling

• 700g cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 25g soft brown sugar

Cinnamon Sugar topping

• 25g sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C

1. Place the apples in a saucepan with the sugar, and add two tablespoons of water. Cover and cook gently for around 10 minutes until soft, then allow to cool.
2. Rub together the butter and flour until it resembles fine bread crumbs (or do this in a food processor), then add a little cold water and bring together to form a dough.
3. Knead the pastry dough very briefly, then roll out on a floured surface to form a top and bottom for your pie dish. I’d recommend using one around, 20cm in diameter.
4. I prefer to roll out the pastry lid first, then put aside on a plate whilst I roll out the base of the pie. The first roll usually comes out best, so any patching that is required can happen on the bottom of the pie where no one will see it!
5. Line the pie dish with pastry, then add the cooled cooked apples.
6. Cut a small cross in the pastry lid, then wet the rim of the pastry base with a little cold water and add the pastry lid, crimping the edges. If you have any spare pastry, use it to decorate the lid: Waste not, want not!
7. Combine the sugar and cinnamon, then brush the pie with milk and sprinkle the sugar cinnamon mix evenly across the top of the pie.
8. Bake for 30 mins until the pastry is golden.

Leftovers? It’s still delicious when cold the next day. Just pop it in the fridge.

Hunter-Gathering Tip: If you find you’ve gathered too many apples and are in danger of over-filling your pie, you can freeze the leftover apple puree to use another time.