Bethany's Vegan Kitchen

Just like the kind that Greggs sell, but made from plants! Golden puff pastry with a creamy mock chicken filling. Before the plague came, Greggs said they’d make a vegan version of all their most popular menu items. I can only assume that big rona scuppered those plans, so I’m sharing my own veganised versions of them

I’ve made plant based versions of their Ham & Cheese Pastry Wraps I swapped the bacon for plant based “ham”. I’ve also made a vegan version of their sausage, cheese & bean melt Vegan Sausage, Cheese & Bean Melt and my classic vegan cheese and onion pasty recipe Vegan Cheese & Onion Pasties

In regards to the “chicken”, I went with mock chicken by Plant Chef from Tesco. It worked really well, it cooked really quickly and had a good flavour and texture

You can of course use any mock chicken you like, there are so many to choose from now, so just use your favourite

Yield; Four large pasties Cook time; 40 minutes

You’ll need;

1. One 375g pack of pre-rolled puff pastry
2. One tablespoon of oil
3. 200g mock chicken
4. One 350g pack of silken tofu
5. 150ml plant milk, plus additional for brushing the pastry with
6. Optional – one small brown onion (this is optional, you can alternatively swap this with 50g extra mock chicken)
7. Salt and white pepper to taste

Method;

• Start by preparing the filling. Fry the mock chicken as per the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, set aside
  
• This step is optional, you can alternatively cook an additional 50g of mock chicken. In the same pan you friend the mock chicken in, fry a finely diced brown onion until soft. Once cooked add this to the mock chicken
• Now you can move on to the cream. Take the silken tofu and using a stick blender blend the tofu with 150ml plant milk. We’ll be using 150g of this cream, the rest can be used in pasta sauces, curry sauces, soups or other dishes
• Next, take 150g of the cream you just made, and fold it together with the mock chicken and onion. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper
• Now we can assemble the pasties. Allow the pastry to come to room temperature before unrolling, then slice into four equal pieces. Put one quarter of the filling mixture onto half of each piece of pastry
  
• Brush a little plant milk around the edges of each piece of pastry, then fold the pastry over the filling. Press the pastry down, then press down with a fork to seal it. If you’re finding your fingers or the fork sticking to the pastry, just dust them in a little plain flour to stop them sticking. I also scored some lines in the top with a sharp knife
  
• Bake at 180°C/160°C fan assisted/400°F for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown

Once they’re baked, leave them to cool for five or ten minutes before eating. You can also freeze these, just wait until they’re stone cold, then pop into an air tight container and freeze. If you defrost and reheat them in the oven, they’ll taste as nice as when you first baked them