So what do I call my version of this classic British dish that I make with diced pork? I’m going for Pigsty Pie – there’s a certain logic to it.

A pork fillet/tenderloin usually finds its way into my weekly shop – versatile, cheap and easy – and it’s always a good starting point for something very tasty.

So while a pan of spuds is boiling away for the mash topping, fry off diced pork. Shake over some spice to keep things interesting – paprika is good, as are ground fennel seeds, or go for Czech spice. Throw in a sliced onion and a red/yellow pepper too.

Once the meat has picked up a nice bit of colour and the spice has filled the kitchen with lovely aromatic aromas, add a mugful of stock and give it a good stir. Simmer for about ten minutes before adding a big spoonful of creme fraiche to thicken the sauce. Give it another five minutes or so to all come together and reduce then pop it all into an ovenproof dish and make the mash.

Spread the mash evenly over the top and work it over with a fork to ensure you get good crispy bits on top. Bake in a  hot oven – about 200 degC for about 30 mins or until golden brown.

Best served IMHO with green veg and piles of crusty bread.

For me fish pie is comfort food and a midweek treat all rolled into one. Creamy sauce, smoked fish and the crispy bits on the top of the mash…love it.

There’s lots of quick fish pie recipes out there, but you’ve got to wait for a pan of spuds to boil and it’s easy enough to poach some fish and knock up a quick fish sauce in that time.

I think you’ve got to have a smoked fish – something that will flake well like undyed cod or haddock – along with an unsmoked fish like a salmon fillet and some prawns. I like a few hard-boiled eggs but my better half doesn’t so they stay out – belting in a curry too, a hard boiled egg or two. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.

So, while a pan of spuds (enough to make a mash topping for your chosen dish) is boiling away, put the fish into a wide bottomed pan with a bay leaf, half an onion and some peppercorns. Add enough milk to just cover the fish and bring up to not-quite-boiling and simmer very gently for about five minutes – just long enough for you to be able to flake the fish. Take the fish out and strain the milk into the jug as it’s going into the cheese sauce next.

Easy cheese sauce with no measuring or weighing next – I’ve been making this for lasagnes since student days and it’s never failed me yet. It does need a strong cheese like an extra mature Welsh cheddar or add parmesan if you’ve got a milder cheese. If you’re doing it from scratch, it helps to warm about half a pint of milk in the microwave (with a bay leaf in it) before you start.

Using a teaspoon as if it were an ice scream scoop, scrape out a rough ball of butter and pop it into a small pan to melt. Whisking the butter, add a tablespoon of plain flour and whisk together for about a minute over a medium heat. Now add the still warm milk very gradually at first, whisking as you go. About half a pint of milk is about right. Let this come up to boiling while stirring and then turn the heat down. Add the cheese and stir until it melts through and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add a scrape of nutmeg, black pepper and some chopped parsley – or don’t if you haven’t got them to hand, it’s fine without it. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.

Spuds should be done by now so make up the mash. Flake the fish into the dish with prawns and mix it up without breaking up the fish too much. Pour over the cheese sauce, add eggs or peas if you want to and top with mash. Rough up the top with a fork to get good crispy bits.

Into an oven at about 180 degC for 20-30 minutes until the mash has browned and you’re away. For me, it always needs some good crusty bread on the side

A very good friend of mine also does a mean Jamie Oliver Fantastic Fish Pie recipe which we spent a happy (and quite drunken) few hours making recently on a weekend in West Wales. Worth a look too as it uses a creme fraiche cheese sauce – not sure which book it’s in though, sorry!

This is currently the most visited post on easyteas – if you give it a try, please let me know what you think in the comments. If you’re looking for more quick and easy ideas, you can search recipes or subscribe to updates through the menus on the right. Thanks, Matt.

Smoked mackerel

This is a favourite weeknight standby of ours. It’s an easy process to put them together and uses easy-to-keep ingredients.

I use the vac-packed smoked mackerel fillets which are cheap as chips and give a lovely smoky flavour to the fishcakes. The only other ingredients are mash, spring onions and some breadcrumbs.The method is very straightforward. You use roughly the same weight of mash as fish- check the pack, usually about 200g. Boil a few chopped spuds for 20 mins and mash or use leftovers.

Put the mash in a bowl and flake in the fish taking care to remove the skin and any bones. Just run it through your fingers as it goes into the bowl and you’ll pick them out. Chop two spring onions and pop them in – get your hands in and smoosh the mix together.

Divide the mix in two then divide each half again to give you four equal amounts and form into patties. Get three dishes lined up – flour, beaten egg, breadcrumbs. You can make your own crumbs by blitzing old bread in a blender, or buy a pack. Much easier and if you can find panko Japanese breadcrumbs, they’re even better – really crisp and slightly sweet.

Each cake needs to go into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs – make sure they’re fully coated.

Now they just shallow fry in a little oil for about 10 minutes or until golden on both sides. All the ingredients are already cooked so we’re just warming them through and crisping the outside.

Serve two per person with a crisp green salad and sweet chilli sauce to dip the fishcakes.

I’ve made this with frozen cod fillets and tinned fish and both work well as an alternative.

So, chop the spuds up – smaller than for boiled so they cook quicker and are easier to mash. Boil in salted water until a knife goes into the middle easily. Drain well.

Mash or put through a potato ricer (only recently got one of these and I can’t believe the difference it makes – best tenner I’ve spent for the kitchen in a long time). Add a generous knob of butter and a splash of milk. I then grate in a little pile of parmesan which give the mash a really deep savoury flavour. Stir thouroughly with a fork to bring everything together. A little spoon of mustard or some chopped spring onions are good too.

I had this with some lovely thick gammon steaks from the market and a few veggies, avoiding the age-old egg vs pineapple debate. The answer’s egg, anyway.