A master baker has gone the extra mile to ensure cooking Christmas dinner for the family is now as easy as pie - by creating one stuffed with turkey and all the trimmings.
Chef Gareth Mason’s creation crams turkey, vegetables, stuffing and even pigs in blankets inside a crust for a festive feast that would feed a family of four.
The poultry-packed pastry measures 10 inches in diameter and five inches deep. It weighs a whopping 1kg.
Gareth, 34, dubbed the pie a "northerner's best Christmas present".
He said: "It's a whole hunk of pie. I wouldn't even want to try to count the calories in it.
"We've got shredded sprouts, roast carrots, parsnip, diced turkey breast, roast potatoes, stuffing balls and turkey gravy - all encased in a big, thick shortcrust pastry shell.
"It would feed a family of four in one pie, easily. It's a self-contained Christmas dinner. You could just drop it off on Christmas day and all the leg work is done.
"I made the pastry quite thick so it holds itself in the dish. I used about 500g of pastry, the pie itself must be at least 1kg with the filling. It's a good feast."
Gareth dreamt up the yuletide crust while experimenting with a festive menu at the Absolute Bar and Bistro in Westhoughton, Bolton, where he is head chef.
He blind-baked the pastry and pre-roasted the ingredients before filling the pie - and said it tastes delicious.
He added: "I thought 'I wonder what a Christmas dinner tastes like in a pie'.
"It's actually delicious. It tastes exactly the same as Christmas dinner.
"There's gravy in the pie to bind it so the filling isn't too loose and then we topped it off with some more. It's a northerner's best Christmas present."
Gareth won't be selling the pie on his menu, but he is planning to do a smaller version for his festive menu.
He added: ""I did it just to experiment to see how it would work and taste.
"We'll have a festive menu throughout December, I'll probably put a pie on but it will be a bit smaller than this one."
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