Make a giant Greggs-inspired festive pie with this easy slow cooker recipe for women

Reproduce one of Greggs’ most popular festive treats for the ultimate Christmas meal.

One of the true charms of Christmas is the wide range of festive recipes that accompany the season. You’d be hard-pressed to find a restaurant or food outlet that doesn’t offer festive delights both sweet and savory.

However, one enthusiast has gone further by recreating a Christmas classic: the Greggs Festive Bake. Nutrition expert Molly Cunningham demonstrated how to create a healthier version of this beloved treat, packing an impressive 65g of protein.

The icing on the cake? This recipe can be cooked in a slow cooker, allowing it to simmer to perfection while you tackle the rest of your Christmas chores.

Greggs has introduced some mouth-watering products this year, such as their Festive Stuffed Pastry, Christmas Lunch Baguette, Spicy Vegetable Pie, Vegan Turkey Free Baguette and Festive Soup. Molly’s reinvention captures all the seasonal joys found in Greggs’ flagship festive offering, the Daily Record reports.

But why stop at just one cooking? Molly turned her creation into a big community celebration. She said: “Yesterday the party bakes were back at Greggs so I had to buy one for Liam as they’re his favorite! I wanted to create a bigger version that we could enjoy for dinner to make us feel festive!”

Molly shared her baking adventure, saying: “The Greggs Festive Bake was finally back yesterday, so to celebrate I decided to create a giant version entirely in the slow cooker. I tried to keep all the flavors and consistency of a normal Festive Bake. with the addition of a sneaky vegetable and over 50 grams of protein.

Greggs fans were impressed by Molly’s inventive dish, with one fan exclaiming: “I urge everyone to make it. I made it last Sunday and it served me on Sunday and my lunches until See you Thursday, it was delicious.”

Rachael commented: “I made this last night!! YUM! And easy to make. I swapped the dough for a slice of hotpot style potato, I’m going to make it again!”

Another added their excitement: “My husband will LOVE this,” while @emmybeany shared: “I made this today. It was delicious and I will definitely make it again.”

Another satisfied foodie said: “10/10! I can’t believe how amazing this is! This will feed me and @thewitchtree for three days, and it tastes absolutely out of this world I can’t wait to do it again.”

For those who are fans of Greggs and want to replicate the beloved Christmas treat at home, here’s what you need to get started.

Greggs Inspired Festive Baked Pie

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 4 bacon medallions
• 100 g dry stuffing mix
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of garlic granules
• 2 tablespoons herb mixture, plus extra for sprinkling the dough
• 260 ml chicken broth
• Water
• Puff pastry
• 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche
• Cranberry sauce

Method

Start by dicing your chicken and throwing it into the slow cooker with the bacon, dry stuffing mixture, leeks, garlic granules, herb mixture and chicken stock, then stir well.

Set your stove on high for three hours or on low for six to seven hours. Try to stir halfway through cooking to prevent the stuffing from clumping.

If your stuffing mixture starts to thicken excessively, simply add a little water and stir to loosen it, but be careful not to overdo it as you will be incorporating crème fraîche later and you don’t want it to be too liquid.

When ready to prepare the dish, mix in your light crème fraîche and pour in about six small spoonfuls of cranberry sauce, making sure it is evenly distributed.

Use the lid of your slow cooker to shape your dough before placing it on your slow cooker, then brush it with egg wash and sprinkle it with an herb mixture.

Finally, bake it in the oven at 200℃ for about 20 minutes or until it reaches a golden brown hue. Serve and savor every bite.

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