England Calls - Hear the Chimes?

​

We’re off to the land of Big Ben

 

How do you do? Today we are in the United Kingdom trying out shepherd’s pie and creating the perfect treat for afternoon teatime: raspberry hand pies.  

​

You may already be familiar with some fun facts about this country. The United Kingdom is home to The Queen and double decker buses. Between the hours of 3 and 5 PM (around the time children come home from school), most everyone pauses for teatime, enjoying a snack of small sandwiches, scones, and pastries accompanied by tea. Have you ever had a tea party? We’ll have our own today! 

 

Let’s get started on the shepherds pie for dinner. You can make it in the morning, let it cool, and refrigerate it. Then reheat it after you finish your tea party.

​

English Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

​

Ask an adult or older sibling to help you:

• Preheat the oven

• Slice the carrots

• Brown the vegetables and ground beef mixture on the stovetop

• Grate the cheese (if pre-shredded wasn’t purchased)

• Put the baking dish in the oven and take it out

• Refrigerate and reheat the Shepherd’s Pie if you’re making it ahead of time 

Note to Parents: This recipe calls for mashed potatoes. Feel free to use your favorite recipe or purchase premade mashed potatoes. For those with pickier children, you can also make a “deconstructed” shepherd’s pie, leaving all of the ingredients separate.

​

​

INGREDIENTS

​

1 pound lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

¾ cup frozen peas

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

4 potatoes, peeled and diced

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 pound shredded Cheddar cheese

 

DIRECTIONS

​

Preheat oven to 400°F  /  200°C

 

Make Meat Filling: Place large skillet over medium heat. Crumble ground beef and saute 1 minute. Add onion and carrot, then saute until meat is no longer pink and onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, cinnamon, mixed herbs, and parsley.

 

In small bowl, combine beef broth and tomato paste. Mix, then add to beef mixture. Add frozen peas, salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.

 

Make Potato Topping: Place diced potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and place over high heat. Allow to come to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain.

 

Mash potatoes until smooth, then add butter or margarine, followed by milk. Whip until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes over beef filling. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.

 

Note: Instant mashed potatoes are a great substitute but leave salt out of recipe

 

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until top is browned and cheese is bubbly.

 

Now that we have dinner prepared, let’s have a tea party. We can make cucumber sandwiches (sliced cucumbers on white bread spread with cream cheese) and raspberry hand pies.

​

 

Kid-Friendly Raspberry Hand Pies

​

Raspberry Hand Pies Recipe

​

iNGREDIENTS

​

1 package refrigerated pie crust dough

12 ounces raspberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, beaten

​

INSTRUCTIONS

​

1. Preheat oven to 375°F  / 190°C .

2. On lightly floured surface, unroll pie crusts and cut into 20 rounds, 3½-inches each. Reroll scraps as necessary. Place dough circles on parchment-lined baking sheet.

3. Mix raspberries, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla until berries begin to release juices and mixture is evenly blended.

4. Brush 10 dough rounds with egg and top with raspberry mixture. Add a dough round to each hand pie. Press firmly on edges to seal or use a fork to seal edges. Brush tops with remaining egg.

5. Bake 20 minutes, or until pies are golden. Let cool slightly before serving or cool completely.

 

Bonus activities

You can practice 24 different ways to say “hello” in British English. Be king or queen for the day and make your own crown. You can also make teacups for a tea party.