Mutton works well with thyme, cumin, garlic and more

Mark Hix, chef director of The Ivy, Caprice and J Sheekey, has found many ways to bring the best out of mutton.

Here he shares an unusual recipe.

For the filling

1.2kg (2.5lb) mutton, from a single cut such as neck, shoulder or leg, cut into 3cm (1in) chunks. Two medium onions, finely chopped.

A knob of butter, 3 tablespoons (tbsp) plain flour.

2-3tbsp vegetable oil, 1 glass white wine, 3 litres (5.5 pints) chicken stock, 24 live freshwater crayfish, 1 teaspoon (tsp) fennel seeds, 12 black peppercorns, a few sprigs of Thyme, 2 star anise, 1 bay leaf, 1 beaten egg.

For the pastry

225g (8 ounces) self raising flour, 1tsp salt, 85g (3 ounces) shredded beef suet, 60g (2 ounces) butter - chilled and coarsely grated, 1 medium egg, beaten.

Season and dust the mutton with half the flour. Heat half of the vegetable oil in a heavy-based frying pan and fry the pieces of mutton on a high heat in two or three batches, until golden.

In another pan, gently cook the onions in the butter for two to three minutes without colouring, dust with the remaining flour and stir well on a low heat for a minute.

Gradually add the wine and 2 litres (3.5 pints) of the hot chicken stock, stirring to avoid lumps forming. Bring to the boil, add the mutton, season lightly and simmer gently for two hours with a lid on.

Check the mutton and continue cooking if it is not tender. The sauce should be fairly thick by now; if not, remove the meat with a slotted spoon and continue to simmer the sauce until it has thickened. Leave to cool.

Plunging the crayfish

Chefs Matt Tebbutt (left) and Mark Hix (right) put mutton on the menu

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water large enough for all the crayfish to the boil, with the fennel seeds, black peppercorns, thyme, star anise and bay leaf and a tablespoon of salt.

Simmer for five minutes. Plunge the crayfish into the boiling liquid.

Bring the water back to the boil, simmer for a minute and a half, then drain and leave to cool.

Pick out four similar-sized crayfish for the garnish and shell the rest, including large claws, first removing the head and then squeezing the shell between thumb and forefinger to crack it.

Put the meat aside.

Crush up the shells a little and put them in a saucepan with the rest of the chicken stock; simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain through a sieve and reduce the stock to about 4-5tbsp and add to the mutton.

Once it is cool, mix in the crayfish and fill a large pie dish or several smaller individual ones.

Rolling pasty

To make the pastry, mix the flour and salt with the suet and grated butter with your fingers into a fine breadcrumb-like consistency.

The end result is rich and flavoursome

Mix in about 150-175ml (5-6 fl oz) water and the beaten egg to form a smooth dough and knead it for a minute.

Roll the pastry to half a centimetre (a quarter of an inch) thick and cut it out so that it is 2cm (1in) larger all the way round than the rim of the pie dish, or dishes, you are using.

Brush the edges of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg and lay the pastry on top, pressing the egg-washed sides against the rim of the dish.

Cut a small slit in the top of each pie and insert the four whole crayfish to expose the top half of the body above the pastry, then brush the pastry with beaten egg.

You can put a trim around the edge of the dish with a strip of leftover pastry. Leave to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.