A few tips for the perfect pie: get a round enamel pie dish if possible, use all-butter puff pastry, cut the circle of pastry with a very sharp knife so that you don’t pinch the layers together and ma

From Sunday roasts to Spanish delicacies, good food is one of the pillars of Sir David Beckham’s life, as Tom Parker Bowles discovers when the pair cook up a comfort-food storm of calf’s liver and bacon at Claridge’s

SERVES 6 Ingredients Olive oil, for frying 100g smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped 1kg braising steak or beef shin, cut into 2.5cm/1in chunks 2 heaped tbsp plain flour 2 large onions, thinly sliced

Use whatever Christmas sprinkles you like for decorating these pies. MAKES 12 PREP 40 mins plus cooling, setting and 30 mins chilling COOK 20 mins EASY ❄ uncooked pastry only 300g vegetarian mincemeat

A crowd-pleasing pie with a rich, buttery filling. Sage leaves are baked into the pastry while the beetroot adds vibrant colour. SERVES 8 PREP 30 mins plus40 mins chilling COOK 1 hr 30 mins MORE EFFOR

Ingredients (Serves 4) ◆ 700g “wonky” potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks ◆ Salt ◆ 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and chopped ◆ 225g green cabbage, trimmed and thinly sliced ◆ 200g frozen peas ◆ 1tbs