McSinghs Scotch pie

Name: McSinghs Scotch pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 27 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2 tsp Cumin; 1 tbs Rapeseed Oil; 2 finely chopped Red Onions; 6 Garlic Clove; 3 finely chopped Green Chilli; 1 finely chopped Red Pepper; 1 tsp Nutmeg; 2 tsp Coriander; 1kg Lamb Mince; 1 tsp Pepper; 3 tbs Coriander; 340g Plain Flour; ½ tsp Salt; 90 ml Milk; 150g Lard; Beaten Egg Yolks

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Lamb recipe with British flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 74 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 42 min total

2 tsp Cumin
1 tbs Rapeseed Oil
2 finely chopped Red Onions
6 Garlic Clove
3 finely chopped Green Chilli
1 finely chopped Red Pepper
1 tsp Nutmeg
2 tsp Coriander
1kg Lamb Mince
1 tsp Pepper
3 tbs Coriander
340g Plain Flour
½ tsp Salt
90 ml Milk
150g Lard
Beaten Egg Yolks

Step-by-step instructions

Heat a large frying pan and toast the cumin seeds for a few minutes, then set aside. Heat the oil in the same pan and fry the onion, garlic, chilli, pepper and a good pinch of salt for around eight minutes, until there is no moisture left. Remove from the heat, stir in the toasted cumin seeds, ground mace (or nutmeg) and ground coriander. Leave to cool.
In a large bowl mix together the minced lamb, white pepper, fresh coriander, and the cooled spiced onion mixture until combined. Set aside, covered, in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and generously grease a 20cm/8in diameter loose-bottomed or springform round cake tin with lard.
To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Put the milk, lard and 90ml/3fl oz of water in a saucepan and heat gently. When the lard has melted, increase the heat and bring to the boil.
Pour the boiling liquid into the flour, and use a wooden spoon to combine until cool enough to handle. Bring together into a ball.
Dust a work surface with flour and, working quickly, knead the dough briefly – it will be soft and moist. Set aside a third of the pastry and roll the rest out on a well-floured surface. Line the pie dish with the pastry, pressing it right up the sides until it pokes just over the top of the tin.
Add the filling into the pastry-lined tin bit by bit. As you reach the top, form a slight peak. Roll out the reserved pastry and top the pie with it. Pinch the edges to seal and trim the excess. Poke a hole in the top of the pie and insert a small tube made from aluminium foil to allow steam to escape.
Brush the top of the pie with a little beaten egg yolk, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes (put a tray on the shelf below to catch any drips). Then reduce the temperature to 160C/325F/Gas 3 and cook for a further 1¼ hours until golden-brown. Leave to cool completely before refrigerating for two hours, or overnight.
Run a knife around the edge of the pie, remove from the tin and serve with chutneys, salads or pickles.

Why this works on a weeknight

McSinghs Scotch pie lands at about 42 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. McSinghs Scotch pie actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Lamb British Pie