Fish pie sounds such an ordinary dish – it’s certainly easy to make – but if you take care choosing your ingredients it can prove a real treat. Fish pie is a great dish to serve at this time of the year alongside a seasonal green salad that has been dressed with a lemon-based vinaigrette sauce. For extra flavour, try adding a little smoked haddock to the fish mix, not too much – just enough to add a further flavour dimension.

You will need: 2lb (900g) mix of white fish fillets One handful cooked prawns ¾pt (425ml) milk Bunch of spring onions, chopped Four hard-boiled eggs, rough chopped 1oz (25g) butter 1oz (25g) flour 2 tbspns single cream Small bunch parsley chopped fine One bay leaf 1lb (450g) smooth mashed potatoes to which a little butter and milk has been added Tomatoes to garnish Salt and freshly ground black peppercorns to season.

Method: Turn the oven to 180C/350F or Gas mark 4.

Heat the milk with the bay leaf until it reaches boiling point.

Place the fish fillets in an ovenproof dish and, having removed the bay leaf, pour over fish fillets, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

Remove fish from oven, strain and reserve the milk and flake the fish into a pie dish, taking care to take out all the bones.

Add the chopped eggs, prawns, spring onions and parsley to the fish.

Heat the butter in a pan, stir in the flour, then gradually add the reserved milk, stirring as you go until you have a smooth creamy sauce, adding the cream at the end. Taste, adjust seasoning and pour the sauce over the fish.

Carefully top the dish with the mashed potato, garnish with sliced tomatoes and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the top has turned a delicious