David’s Fish Pie

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them in halves or quarters, depending on size. Put them in a pan of salted water to cook from cold. When they’re tender, drain and mash them with half of the butter, seasoning to taste.
2. Put the haddock and smoked haddock into a large frying pan with the milk, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring the milk in the pan to a boil, then immediately turn down and simmer the fish until it is just cooked through. Remove the fish to a plate and pour the cooking liquid into a jug, straining out the bay leaves and peppercorns.
3. Meanwhile, put the frozen peas in a bowl, pour over some boiling water and preheat the oven to 190C, slipping in a baking sheet as you do so.
4. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour to make a roux.
5. Take this off the heat briefly, just while you gradually whisk in the fishy milk, then put back over a medium heat and keep stirring until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Let it bubble away for a couple of minutes, then take off the heat and stir in most of the cheese (leaving some to sprinkle over the top of the pie later) and the drained peas.
6. Flake the fish, making sure not to let it disintegrate too much, and use it to line a suitable ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the frozen prawns and pour the sauce over, using a rubber spatula to help you distribute it equally and meld it with the fish.
7. Peel the hard-boiled eggs and cut them into slices. Arrange the discs over the top of the fish in sauce. Top with the mashed potato, using a spatula, again, to help you coax it right over the sides. With a fork, scrape lines up and down the length of the dish and then sprinkle with a little grated cheddar before putting it on the sheet in the oven for 20-40 minutes, depending on whether you’re putting the pie in hot or cold.
8. Serve hot!