Hedgehog pasties for little veghogs

Pack some fun in their lunch boxes with these cute pasties

Hedgehog pasties for little veg-hogs
by Sara Conway

Children will love helping you to make this cute little pasty that looks like a hedgehog! And the recipe packs in 3 of their 5-a-day. These neat parcels are perfect for lunchboxes and a great after school snack.

Ingredients

  • 140g white potato, diced into 1cm cubes
  • 70g carrot, diced into 1 cm cubes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 leek, very finely sliced
  • 60g frozen peas
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ tbsp crème fraiche
  • 100g Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 375g ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
  • 1 black olive, chopped into small pieces

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to gas 4/180C/fan 160C.

Step 2

Boil the potatoes and carrots in a pan of salted water for 6-8 mins until just tender, then drain in a colander.

Step 3

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the leek. Fry for 5 mins until softened. Add the frozen peas and the drained potatoes and carrot. Gently stir in the mustard and crème fraîche. Season and set aside to cool.

Step 4

Lightly flour a work surface then unroll the pastry sheet. Using an 11cm round cutter, cut out 6 circles from the pastry. Stir the cheese into the cooled veg mix. Divide the mixture between the circles, piling it into the centre.

Step 5

Brush around the edges of the circles with a little beaten egg then bring up the two sides of the circle to join at the top and press together, then crimp a little to create spines. Turn the end of the pastry up to create a nose.

Step 6

Place the pasties onto a lined baking sheet. Using a skewer poke two small holes in the side of each pasty, then push in the small pieces of olive to make eyes. Glaze with the remaining egg and bake in the oven for 40-45 mins until golden.

math icon

Maths

science icon

Science

reading icon

Reading & Writing

sensory icon

Sensory Play

Learning guide

Following a recipe (no matter how easy it is) teaches kids lots of valuable skills, like problem solving and reading instructions. As they make their pasties, they’ll also witness the science of heating up different ingredients – and what happens to pastry as it cooks. Measuring out the ingredients incorporates maths too, plus their little hands will love shaping and moulding the dough.