Mini Pork Pies with Turmeric Pickled Onion Relish

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a muffin tin, and line each hole with a strip of greaseproof paper.
Prepare your filling by mixing the pork, onion, garlic, worcestershire sauce, spices and seasoning in a large bowl. Set to one side.
For the hot water crust pastry, place the lard and water in a saucepan and heat gently until the lard has melted. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Pour the hot lard-water mixture into the flour and stir until a dough forms and allow to cool.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cut a third off and roll out the larger portion of dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3-4 mm thickness. Cut out circles large enough to fit into the muffin tin cups - about 12cm.
Press the dough circles into the greased muffin tin cups, making sure to leave some excess pastry hanging over the edges.
Fill each pastry-lined cup with the pork filling, pressing it down gently.
Roll out the remaining pastry dough and cut out smaller circles to fit as lids for the pies.
Brush the edges of the pastry bases with beaten egg and place the pastry lids on top, sealing the edges by pressing them together.
Brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg for a golden finish.
Bake the pies in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown, adding a another layer of egg wash halfway through.
As they cook, make your relish by placing the Opies pickled onions with turmeric in a blender along with the sugar, tomatoes, red pepper and vinegar.
Remove from the oven and let the mini pork picnic pies cool in the tin for a few minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.