Makes 6 mini Wellingtons
Cost per serve (just the Wellingtons, not the side dishes) = £1.38 for 3 people – non vegan, or vegan = £1.09
Ingredients:
6 tbsp margarine (dairy-free/vegan) or butter
175g leek, shredded – white part, (save the green leaves for the celeriac and potato mash (see separate recipe below)
½ clove garlic, crushed
225g breadcrumbs
125g Caerphilly cheese, grated (for a dairy-free/vegan version you can use a hard grateable vegan cheese)
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 heaped tbsp of fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 medium eggs (or 3 flax eggs if vegan version)
1-2 tbsp milk (plant-based if dairy-free/vegan version – we recommend oat milk)
6 sheets filo pastry
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Add 1 tbsp of the margarine or butter to a fry pan and sauté the leeks and garlic over a low to medium heat until softened, approx. 2-3 minutes
Add the cooked leek and garlic to a mixing bowl
Add the breadcrumbs, cheese, salt and pepper, mustard, and fresh parsley to the bowl with the leeks. Stir through to mix well.
Lightly beat the eggs, and add to the bowl. (If using flax egg instead mix 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water. Mix together, and let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes to set up and thicken.)
Stir the eggs (or flax egg) through with the other ingredients until a firm dough is formed. Add a little of the milk if the mixture is a little dry. Add a little at a time, and mix through. Be sure to not add too much, as you don’t want the mixture to be too wet.
Divide the mixture into 6, and with your hands form each into a ball (just smaller than the size of a tennis ball). Put into the fridge to firm up, whilst you prepare the filo sheets
Separate one individual filo sheet from the sheets very carefully, making sure not to tear them. Lay the individual sheet out on a flat surface.
You now want to make the individual sheet into a square. To do this, gently take the bottom left corner of the sheet, and fold it up until the edge is level with the top edge. You will now see that there is a square, and you can now trim off the section of filo sheet that is left over by gently running your knife along the edge of the square section. Remove the trimmed off section (you can save it for another recipe).
Now open out the square sheet.
Melt the remaining margarine or butter, and with a brush, or the back of a teaspoon, gently brush a thin coat of the margarine or butter over the entire top of the filo sheet
Now place one of the formed balls of the filling mix to the centre of the filo sheet, and placing a little pressure with your hand, lightly push down just about half a centre metre.
To form the parcel (mini wellington) gently take one of the corners of the sheet and fold it in to the centre of the ball, keeping the corners of the sheet protruding at the top. Repeat with the other corners of the sheet and then gently twist and then pinch the pastry around the top of the ball to form.
Repeat with all remaining balls and filo sheets.
Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, being sure to keep up to 2 centimetres apart
Using a brush, brush the entire outside of the sheets with the remaining margarine or butter
Bake in the oven until they are golden and slightly crispy, about 15-20 minutes
Celeriac & potato mash, with leek leaves
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
350g potatoes, peeled and cubed
185g celeriac, peeled and cubed
35g margarine or butter
3 heaped tbsp green leek leaves, cut super fine into match stick sized pieces, then diced
65ml double cream (65ml oat milk mixed with 3/4 tsp plain flour for dairy-free/vegan version)
½ tsp salt
Method
Place the potatoes and water in a saucepan and boil the potatoes until tender, about 20-25 minutes, adding the celeriac 5 minutes after the potatoes.
While the potatoes are cooking, melt the margarine or butter over a medium heat in a frypan, add the chopped leek leaves and gently cook over a medium heat until just soft, approx. 1-1.5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Once both the potatoes and celeriac are tender, drain the water from the saucepan.
Put the saucepan back on a very low heat until any remaining water evaporates. Turn the heat off.
Add the drained potato and celeriac to the dry saucepan and mash well with a potato masher.
Return the pan with the cooked leeks to the hob, and warm gently on a low heat – 10-20 seconds. Add the cream (or oat milk mixed with flour) to the leeks, and stir through.
Season with the salt and stir through
Bring to a simmer, then cook for another few mins until the cream thickens slightly.
Add the creamy leek leaves to the mashed celeriac and potato, and stir through until well combined, then serve.
