A top Bolton chef has unveiled his latest creation - a tantalising 1kg pie stuffed with a full Christmas dinner.
Gareth Mason is the head chef of Absolute Bar & Bistro in Westhoughton, having previously worked at acclaimed local restaurant chain Retreat.
The 34-year-old has dubbed the new pie a "Northerner's best Christmas present" and claimed that it would be able to feed a family of four.
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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."
As well as weighing a whopping 1kg, the pie is five inches deep and measures 10 inches in diameter.
Gareth, of Smithills, dreamt up the yuletide crust while experimenting with a festive menu.
He blind-baked the pastry and pre-roasted the ingredients before filling the pie but revealed that unfortunately it would not make the final menu.
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.
"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."
