May Queen Pie

Mmmm May Queen Pie. Fit for May Queens – not made from them!

No this delightful pie is full of the joys of Spring. The rhubarb that’s still going strong, the strawberries that are just starting to show up at the market and the dandelions that fill the lawn with colour.

full of the joys of Spring

I use ready made pastry because making it from scratch always seems a bit silly. Also I’m not very good at it ?

Dorothy absolutely loves making this pie with me. There are lots of little jobs that helpers can do. Like rolling out pastry, picking rhubarb or plucking the yellow petals from dandelions. You’re sure to have e plenty of helpers when it comes to eating it too!

You Will Need

200g strawberry jam

200g rhubarb, washed and chopped into 2cm chunks

240g strawberries, hulled and chopped in half

1tbs lemon juice

3tbs rosewater

2tbs conflour

5 dandelions

Pastry

1 egg, whisked

Method

Preheat the oven to 200
Take 1/3 of the pastry. Roll it out to a thickness of around 2mm and the same width as your pie dish.
Cut the pastry into 1cm wide strips. You’ll need around 10 strips. Set them aside.

Roll out all the rest of the pastry, enough to cover your pie dish. Lay the pastry gently in the dish.
Trim the pastry leaving a 2cm overhang. Chill.

Keep the egg as you’ll need it later.
In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, rose water, jam and cornflour. You might need to use a hand blender to get it really smooth
Add the rhubarb and strawberries and stir until fully coated.
Pick the petals from the dandelions and stir into the mixture.

Pour the fruit mixture into the pastry and press down gently to even out the surface.
Arrange the pastry strips in a lattice pattern. Start by laying two strips in a cross – don’t press down.
Add one strip at a time, lifting up the pieces so that they go under and over.
Fold over the edges and squish with a fork.