Fish Pie

450 gn lb potatoes, peeled, boiled and drained,
then mashed with 25 g/1 oz polyunsaturated
margarine, salt and pepper and enough
skimmed milk to make a creamy spreading
consistency
500 g/I1/2 lb thick white liite fish fillets
300 ml/1/2 pint skimmed milk
1 thick slice onion
good pinch each dried rosemary and thyme
1 small bay leaf
4 peppercorns
salt
40 g/11/2 oz polyunsaturated margarine
25 g/1 oz plain unbleached white flour
50 g/2 oz cheese, grated
225 g/8 oz tomatoes, skinned and chopped, or
50 g/2 oz peeled prawns
2 hard-boiled eggs. sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the fish under cold water, cut each fillet into 2 or 3 pieces and put into a saucepan. Add the milk, onion, herbs, peppercorns and a little salt. Bring slowly to simmering point, then cover and cook very gently for 12 to 15 minutes. Strain off the liquid and reserve for the cheese sauce.

Melt 25 g/1 oz margarine in a clean saucepan, stir in the flour and cook gently for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the reserved cooking liquid. When smoothly blended, stir until boiling, then simmer gently for several minutes.

Meanwhile, remove any skin or bones from the pieces of fish and flake the flesh roughly. Discard the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns. Stir into the sauce half the cheese, all the tomatoes or prawns, hard-boiled eggs, parsley (if using), flaked fish and salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently over a low heat until thoroughly heated through. Pour the mixture into a flameproof pie dish, spread the prepared potato topping over the top to cover it completely, and mark the surface with a fork. Sprinkle

with the remaining cheese, dot with flakes of the remaining margarine and grill gently for a few minutes until the surface is gold and crisp. SERVES 4