Four tips for making your own pies at home that are both cheap and easy...

ENJOY a slice of British Pie Week, starting tomorrow, by making your own delicious showstopper.

It’s the perfect time to practise making pastry and to experiment with low-cost fillings.

Get baking with these easy ideas.

PUT A LID ON IT: Pastry ingredients cost pennies. Get the satisfaction of making your own pie with 175g plain flour, a pinch of salt, 85g cold butter, cubed, and 3 tbsp of cold water.

Rub the flour, salt and butter together until it looks like breadcrumbs, add the water a spoonful at a time until the mixture starts to bond.

Gently knead until it just comes together and then rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out.

If you’re short on time, use shop-bought pastry — you can save some money by buying supermarkets’ own brands. Getting a block will be cheaper than ready-rolled.

FILL FOR LESS: The best pie fillings can come from tasty leftovers. Any meat from a Sunday roast can be put in the pie, along with excess gravy.

With chicken, add a tin of mushroom soup for a creamy alternative to the meaty sauce.

For a veggie treat, bulk out pies with sweet potatoes, butternut squash or cauliflower in a creamy sauce, with frozen sweetcorn or peas for extra goodness.

LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS: Once you’ve cut out your pie lid, you’re likely to have leftover scraps of pastry. Don’t throw them away. For a savoury snack, cut into strips and sprinkle with Cheddar to make cheese straws.

For something sweet, bake the scraps, then cover them in icing sugar or dip them in melted chocolate.

PRIZE PIES: Look out for British Pie Week offers at supermarkets, pubs and restaurants.

Book a table at a Pieminister restaurant for the chance to win prizes. After Pie Week, you can still use its app to get a pie, side and gravy for £10, from noon to 4pm, weekdays.

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