The Hairy Bikers' Everyday Fish Pie

I seem to love the Hairy Bikers recipes. They are simple and accessible, so perhaps that is why. I made this lovely fish pie for Kat and Kay when they came to stay and served it with vegetables.

The recipe is:

400ml whole milk
1 small onion, thickly sliced
2 bay leaves
500g skinned thick white fish fillets (I used a mixture of cod and smoked river cobbler)
40g butter
40g plain flour
150g frozen peas
200g large peeled prawns (I used some marinated in garlic and herb)
flaked sea salt
ground pepper

Mash topping
800g medium potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized pieces
50g butter, cubed
3 to 5 tbsp
sea salt and pepper

For the filling, pour the milk into the pan and add the onion and bay leaves. Season. Place the fish fillets in the pan and bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for two minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to stand and infuse for 20 minutes. Drain the fish through a colander into a bowl, then pour the milk into a jug.

For the mash fill half a saucepan with cold water. Add the potatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan to mash with the butter and milk. Season to taste. Preheat the oven to 200c, fan 180c, gas mark 6.

Now finish the filling. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a few seconds then gradually add the infused milk, stirring over a medium heat for three to four minutes until the sauce is smooth and thick. Stir in the peas and season with salt and pepper.

Spread a third of the sauce into the base of an ovenproof dish. Scatter half the fish fillets over the sauce, breaking them into chunky pieces and discard the onion and bay leaves. Drop half the prawns over the top and pour over another third of the sauce. Continue with the layers and finishe with the final third of the sauce.

Spoon the potato over the fish mixture and rough up the surface with a fork. Place the dish on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling.

This is a really tasty pie, which although produces a lot of washing up, is easy to make. Serves about 5.