Anna Louise Turkey and ham pie is the recipe I look forward to making almost as much as I look forward to Christmas dinner itself. The moment on Boxing Day when the leftover turkey comes out of the fridge and I start building the filling — softening the leeks, making the cream sauce, folding in the roughly torn turkey and the chunks of leftover Christmas ham — is one of my favourite cooking moments of the year.
This pie uses puff pastry for the lid rather than shortcrust — the occasion is festive and the dramatic, risen, deeply golden puff pastry lid seems appropriate.
The filling is a creamy leek and tarragon sauce with leftover turkey and ham — the tarragon giving the specifically festive, slightly elegant note that makes this feel like a deliberate dish rather than simply a vehicle for leftovers.
It can also be made entirely from scratch — roasting a small turkey breast or using rotisserie chicken alongside good quality cooked ham — if no Christmas leftovers are available. It is equally good in either version.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Turkey and Ham Pie
For the Filling
- 600g cooked turkey, roughly torn into generous pieces — leftover roast turkey or cooked turkey breast
- 300g cooked ham, cut into 2cm chunks — leftover Christmas ham or good quality cooked ham from the deli
- 3 large leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and sliced into 1cm rounds
- 40g unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 200ml dry white wine or dry cider
- 350ml good quality chicken or turkey stock
- 200ml double cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped — or 1 tsp dried, added earlier
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
For the Puff Pastry Lid
- 375g sheet ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry — cold from the fridge
- 1 large egg, beaten — for brushing
How to Make Mary Berry Turkey and Ham Pie
Step 1 — Make the Filling
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the sliced leeks. Cook for eight to ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely soft, slightly golden, and sweet. Add the garlic — cook for two more minutes.
Sprinkle over the flour. Stir for one to two minutes. Add the wine or cider — bubble for three minutes. Add the stock and cream. Add the Dijon mustard. Stir until smooth. Season generously with salt and white pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for five minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy — coating the back of a spoon generously.
Add the turkey and ham pieces. Stir gently to coat in the sauce. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and tarragon if using fresh. Taste and season very assertively — the pastry absorbs some of the perceived seasoning and the filling must be more boldly seasoned than it will appear in the finished pie.
Leave to cool for at least twenty minutes. The filling must not be hot when the pastry lid goes on.
Step 2 — Preheat and Assemble
Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6.
Spoon the cooled filling into a deep 28x20cm ovenproof pie dish. The filling should come to within 1cm of the top of the dish.
Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg. Unroll the cold puff pastry sheet. Lay it over the filling — pressing the edges firmly against the egg-washed rim. Trim the excess with a sharp knife. Press the edges down firmly.
Cut four generous vents in the pastry lid. Brush the entire surface generously with beaten egg. Decorate with pastry trimmings if desired — leaf shapes pressed onto the glazed surface are traditional and attractive.
Step 3 — Bake
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the puff pastry lid is deeply golden and dramatically risen and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
Rest for ten minutes before serving.
My Top Tips For Perfect Mary Berry Turkey and Ham Pie
Cool the filling before applying the pastry. Hot filling creates steam immediately beneath the cold pastry as it is applied — causing the pastry to soften and sag before it goes in the oven and preventing it from rising properly. Twenty minutes of cooling gives filling that is warm rather than steaming.
Keep the puff pastry cold until the moment it goes on. Cold pastry — straight from the fridge — rises more dramatically than pastry that has been left at room temperature. The cold fat in the pastry creates steam as it heats, which pushes the layers apart and gives the characteristic dramatic rise. Warm pastry gives a flatter, less spectacular result.
Season the filling very assertively. Turkey is a mild meat and the cream sauce is rich — both need confident seasoning to give a filling that does not taste flat beneath the pastry. Season until the filling tastes slightly bolder than you want the finished pie to be. It will be perfectly balanced in the finished dish.
Use all-butter puff pastry. Ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry gives a considerably more flavourful, more dramatically risen result than the cheaper alternatives. For a pie that is the centrepiece of a Boxing Day meal, the all-butter pastry is worth every additional penny.
Tarragon is the specific detail that elevates this from a standard leftover pie. Fresh tarragon added at the very end of the filling — or dried tarragon added with the leeks — gives the specifically fragrant, slightly anise note that makes this feel like a deliberate, elegant dish rather than a practical use of leftovers. Do not leave it out.
Serving Suggestions
With buttered new potatoes or roasted potatoes alongside. With steamed tenderstem broccoli or fine green beans. As the centrepiece of Boxing Day lunch — it looks genuinely spectacular and the smell when it comes out of the oven is completely extraordinary.
How to Store Mary Berry Turkey and Ham Pie
In the fridge: Store covered for up to 3 days. Reheat covered with foil at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes — removing the foil for the final five minutes to re-crisp the pastry.
In the freezer: Freeze the filling without the pastry for up to 3 months. Apply cold puff pastry and bake from cold — adding ten minutes to the baking time.
Mary Berry Turkey and Ham Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Melt butter over medium heat. Cook leeks 8–10 minutes until soft and sweet. Add garlic — 2 minutes. Add flour — stir 1–2 minutes. Add wine or cider — bubble 3 minutes. Add stock, cream, and mustard. Season assertively. Simmer 5 minutes until thick. Add turkey, ham, lemon juice, parsley, and fresh tarragon. Stir gently. Taste — season very assertively. Cool 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Spoon cooled filling into pie dish. Brush rim with beaten egg.
- Lay cold puff pastry over filling — press edges firmly. Trim. Cut 4 generous vents. Brush lid generously with beaten egg. Decorate with pastry trimmings if desired.
- Bake 30–35 minutes until deeply golden and dramatically risen. Rest 10 minutes. Serve.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken instead of turkey?
Yes — rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken gives an excellent result. The filling and method are identical. This becomes a chicken and ham pie — equally wonderful.
Can I use shortcrust pastry instead of puff?
Yes — shortcrust gives a more substantial, more rustic result. Follow the shortcrust pastry recipe on this site. Brush with egg and bake at the same temperature for 25 to 30 minutes.
Can I add mushrooms?
Yes — 200g of chestnut mushrooms, sliced and cooked in butter until golden before adding with the leeks, give an earthy depth that suits the turkey and ham very well.
Can I make this entirely from scratch without leftovers?
Yes — use 600g of cooked turkey breast (roast a turkey crown or buy sliced turkey) and 300g of good quality cooked ham from the deli. The method is identical.
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