Scotch Pie
Small, round hot-water-crust pies filled with spiced minced lamb, with a sunken lid that leaves room for gravy or beans.
AI assistance: the introduction, ingredient list, method, tips and FAQ on this page were drafted with an AI writing tool, working from long-established traditional methods. Named editor who reviewed it: owner to supply How we work
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Makes
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- Involved
- Course
- Main
- Cuisine
- Scottish
The Scotch pie is sold in every Scottish bakery and at football grounds on a Saturday. It has a firm hot-water crust, a filling of finely minced lamb or beef seasoned with mace and pepper, and a distinctive lid set a little below the rim, which leaves a hollow to fill with gravy, beans or mash.
Ingredients
Filling
- 500 g lamb or beef mince
- ½ tsp ground mace
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 4 tbsp beef or lamb stock
Hot-water crust
- 450 g plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 100 g lard or beef dripping
- 200 ml water
- 1 egg, beaten, or a little milk
Equipment
Shop links are affiliate links (disclosure).
- Baking trayHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Small saucepanHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Large mixing bowlHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
- Rolling pinHow to chooseShop on Amazon(affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
Method
Filling
- 1
Mix the mince with the spices, salt, pepper and stock. Chill while you make the pastry.
Pastry and pies
- 1
Heat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / gas 5 and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- 2
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Heat the lard and water in a pan until the lard melts and the water just boils, then pour onto the flour and mix with a wooden spoon. When cool enough to handle, knead briefly until smooth. Work while it is warm.
- 3
Set aside a quarter of the pastry for lids. Divide the rest into 6. Press each piece around the base and sides of a floured jam jar (about 7–8 cm across) to make a case about 4 cm high, then ease it off and stand it on the tray. Leave to firm for a few minutes.
- 4
Fill the cases with the meat. Roll out the reserved pastry and cut 6 lids slightly smaller than the cases. Set each lid on the filling about 1 cm below the rim, pressing the edges up against the pastry wall to seal. Cut a small hole in the centre of each lid and brush with egg.
- 5
Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is cooked through with no pink meat.
Photo: Delta-NC via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Tips
Serve hot with gravy, beans or mash in the hollow, or with mince and tatties-style gravy. They are also good cold for a picnic.
If it goes wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pastry cracks when shaping | Pastry has cooled | Keep the unused pastry covered and warm; work quickly |
| Cases collapse | Pastry too warm and soft | Let the raised cases firm up before filling |
| Filling dry | No liquid added | Add the stock to the mince; it keeps the filling juicy |
Frequently asked questions
Why is the lid of a Scotch pie sunk below the rim?
It leaves a hollow on top that can be filled with gravy, beans or mash when serving.
Is a Scotch pie made with lamb or beef?
Traditionally mutton or lamb; beef is common today. Either works.
How do I know the filling is cooked?
It should be piping hot with no pink meat. The Food Standards Agency advises minced meat reaches 70°C for 2 minutes in the centre.
Sources
- Cooking your food, Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK), 18 December 2017. Checked 3 October 2026.
Guides for this recipe
Some of these guides contain shop links, which are affiliate links (disclosure).
More Scottish Food recipes
Recipe · 4 hr 5 min
Clootie Dumpling
A spiced fruit pudding boiled in a cloth for hours until it forms its famous dark skin: Scotland's great celebration pudding.
Recipe · 2 hr
Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Chicken, leeks and a few prunes simmered into a clear, savoury broth: one of Scotland's oldest soups.
Recipe · 25 min
Cranachan
Toasted oats, whisky-and-honey cream and fresh raspberries: the Scottish summer pudding that ends a Burns supper.
Card photos: Mince pies baked in a bun tray, Jeremy Keith via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped; A wooden rolling pin with handles, Peter Kammer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped; Stacked cream-coloured ceramic mixing bowls, RLiverpool2021 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; Copper pans and a kettle on an old kitchen range, Silar via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; A small stainless steel saucepan with a lid, Cooks & Kitchens from Darlington, UK via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped; A round, dark clootie dumpling on a plate, Matt Riggott from Reykjavik, Iceland via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped; A bowl of cock-a-leekie soup with shredded chicken and leeks, Laurel F via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped; Glasses of cranachan beside a bottle of Scotch whisky, Saskia van de Nieuwenhof from Edinburgh, United Kingdom via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped. All credits: image credits.