Why Individual Pies Suit a Small Household

A generous family-sized fish pie is a wonderful thing, but if you cook for one or two it usually means eating the same dish three nights running. Individual portions solve that neatly. Assemble a batch once, freeze the pies unbaked, then cook only what you need on the night. Nothing is wasted, nothing is reheated twice, and the mash stays fluffy rather than turning watery.

The other advantage is speed. Because the filling and the mash are already made, a portion goes from solid to supper in the oven while you get on with something else. It is worth making on a quiet Sunday afternoon, when you have an hour to spare and the kitchen is warm.

Choosing the Fish and the Seasoning

You need roughly 450g of fish for four individual pies, or 600–700g if you like a generous filling. A mix gives the best flavour and texture: something smoked for depth, something oily for richness, something firm for bite. A working combination is 200g smoked haddock, 150g salmon and 150g cod or hake. Frozen fish is perfectly good here, provided it is thoroughly defrosted and patted dry before it goes anywhere near the sauce.

Seasoning is where you can follow the seasons.

• Winter: soften a sliced leek in the butter before adding the flour, and add a pinch of nutmeg and a bay leaf to the milk as it warms.
• Spring: stir in a handful of frozen peas at the last minute, plus plenty of chopped parsley and a little lemon zest.
• Summer: keep it light with chopped chives, dill and a squeeze of lemon rather than cheese in the mash.
• Autumn: add a spoonful of wholegrain mustard and a little grated mature Cheddar to the sauce.

Hard-boiled eggs, quartered, are traditional and freeze better than you might expect, though they can turn slightly rubbery. If that bothers you, leave them out and serve a boiled egg alongside instead.

A White Sauce That Survives the Freezer

The single most useful tip is to make the sauce a little thicker than you would for a pie baked straight away. Freezing and reheating loosen sauces, and a thin one will weep into the potato. Aim for a sauce that holds a visible trail behind a spoon.

For four portions, melt 50g butter in a heavy pan, stir in 50g plain flour and cook for a minute without colouring it. Add 500ml whole milk gradually, whisking, then simmer for three to four minutes until glossy. Take it off the heat and stir through 100g crème fraîche or double cream, which helps the sauce survive freezing without splitting, plus a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, salt, white pepper and a good grating of nutmeg. Let it cool for ten minutes before folding in the fish, so the pieces hold their shape.

Mash That Comes Back to Life

Use a floury potato: Maris Piper, King Edward or Rooster. Waxy varieties turn gluey after freezing. Cook 900g peeled and chunked potatoes in salted water until a knife slides in easily, then drain and leave them in the colander for a couple of minutes to steam dry.

Mash with 60g butter and about 80ml warm milk, and stop as soon as it is smooth, as overworking makes it sticky. A spoonful of crème fraîche or a beaten egg yolk stirred through gives a richer, more freeze-stable topping. Season well, then let the mash cool to room temperature before it goes near the fish, otherwise it will start cooking the sauce.

Assembling and Freezing the Portions

Use foil trays, small ovenproof dishes or ramekins. Foil ones are cheapest and go straight from freezer to oven.

• Divide the fish and sauce between your containers, filling each about two-thirds full.
• Spoon the mash over the top and spread it right to the edges to seal the filling in.
• Rough the surface with a fork so it catches and browns.
• Cool completely, uncovered, then cover with baking parchment and foil, or a double layer of cling film.
• Label with the date and the reheating temperature, and use within three months.

If you are short on containers, line a muffin tin with cling film, freeze the portions solid, then pop them out and bag them. They keep their shape and can be baked in a small dish later.

Baking From Frozen

For a portion around 300g, bake from frozen at 200°C (180°C fan, gas mark 6) for 45–55 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce bubbles at the edges. If it browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Defrosted portions take 25–30 minutes at the same temperature, and the centre should reach 70°C. Let them stand for five minutes before eating, which gives the sauce time to settle.

Serve with something sharp and green — buttered spinach, purple sprouting broccoli, or simply peas with mint — and you have a proper dinner with almost no effort on the night. Make six next time you have an hour to spare; you will be glad of them on the evenings when cooking is the last thing you want to do.