In honour of National Pie Week (4-10 March), Maz, one of our tutors at the Vegetarian Society Cookery School, couldn’t resist sharing some top tips for making the perfect pie. Read on to learn how to craft beautiful pastry and flavoursome fillings!

Flavour your pastry: A simple trick to enhance your pie is to add flavouring to the pastry before baking it. Spices like cumin and fennel work brilliantly in savoury pies, while cinnamon or nutmeg make a lovely addition to sweet fruit pies.

Enhance your glazes: You can also add flavouring such as crushed seeds, whole spices or smoked paprika to your pie’s glaze, adding warmth and colour. To add a shiny finish to a vegan pie, whisked aquafaba (chickpea juice) makes a great alternative to eggs.

Let your pastry rest: To avoid shrinkage when baking, it’s important to let your pastry rest, ideally in the shape of the finished pie. For example – if you’re making a round pie, shape the pastry into a...

Helen Stevens was the lucky winner of the Vegetarian Society Cookery School’s Veganuary competition. She won every single one of our vegan online classes. We caught up with her about her win.

Vegetarian Society Cookery School: Congratulations, Helen! What made you enter our Veganuary competition?

Helen: I’ve been a vegetarian for over 30 years, but have recently been moving towards more of a vegan diet. So when I saw a tweet about the competition, I thought it would give me some inspiration.

VSCS: Do you do a lot of cooking?

Helen: I probably don’t do as much as I used to, but that’s mainly because other family members have become more interested in cooking over the years so they’re doing more of it.

VSCS: What’s your favourite vegan or veggie dish to cook?

Helen: It goes in phases. At the moment I like making msa’aa, which is a kind of Lebanese ratatouille with roasted veg, chick peas and subtle spices. It’s so easy and so tasty....

Are you looking for inspiration for delicious pancake fillings? Check out Sam's favourites below. 

Tofu scramble with kale, kimchi and sesame seeds: Packed with goodness and extremely filling, this scramble will make your pancake dish perfect for any time of day.

Peanut butter and banana: Sam’s personal favourite –high in protein and a great start to the day. A top tip – warm the peanut butter in the microwave for 20 seconds – this will make it easier to pour! Fancy an indulgent treat? Grate a sprinkle of dark chocolate over the top.

Tofu bacon and maple syrup: Crispy, smoky tofu topped with lashings of sweet syrup – a perfect combination!

Apple and cinnamon: Try adding some grated apple and a pinch of cinnamon to your pancake batter before cooking as usual. A drizzle of date syrup makes the perfect finishing touch.

Monday morning (or Sunday supper) pancakes: Mash leftover veg from your Sunday lunch and fry for 7-10 minutes...

If you're wondering when different fruit and veg is in season, check out our handy guide below! 

January

Apples, Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Pears, Red Cabbage, Salsify, Savoy Cabbage, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Squash, Swedes, Turnips, White Cabbage.

February

Apples, Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Celeriac, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Pears, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Salsify, Savoy Cabbage, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Squash, Swedes, White Cabbage.

March

Artichoke, Beetroot, Carrots, Chicory, Cucumber, Leeks, Parsnip, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Radishes, Rhubarb, Sorrel, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Watercress.

April

Artichoke, Beetroot, Carrots, Chicory, New Potatoes, Kale, Morel Mushrooms, Parsnips, Radishes, Rhubarb, Rocket, Sorrel, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Watercress.

May

Artichoke,...

Do you only eat Brussels sprouts at Christmas? These tiny cabbages are in season October until March but most of us only eat them in December.  They’re usually boiled or steamed but there’s so much more you can do with them.

High in fibre, Brussels sprouts are a relative of cabbage, kale and broccoli and are surprisingly versatile. When you’re buying them look for the smaller, firmer varieties with tightly packed leaves, as these are a little sweeter. Ideally buy them still attached to a stalk as they’ll keep their crispness.

Since I started experimenting with different ways to cook and prepare Brussels sprouts I can’t get enough and I eat them right through to the end of March. Roasting them in a little olive oil is a good starting place if you’ve not tried anything but boiled or steamed. It really brings out the flavour and takes the edge off the bitterness. They also make a tasty alternative to cabbage, just shred them before cooking....