When it comes to winter satisfaction, few things eclipse the pleasure of setting  a golden pie on the table for dinner when it’s cold, wet and dark outside. It really doesn’t matter if it’s a free-standing, fully pastry-encased pie such as Jamie Oliver’s pea, egg and ham pie, or a simpler classic like a chicken and leek pie. 

The recipe annals of delicious.com.au are full of in-pie-ration (sorry, I won’t do that again). Here’s my selection of favourites from our inspired collection of pie recipes, and a few ideas from me for good measure.

Related: Rug up tonight with these 32 warming pie recipes

MINI BEEF PIES
There is something Saturday-afternoon-at-the-footy about making individual shortcrust meat pies with your muffin tin. This recipe is also notable for throwing an amazing selection of flavour bombs at the minced beef filling from bacon, Worcestershire sauce and Vegemite to tomato sauce and curry powder. Amping up the flavour of the filling this way, or perhaps with a little splash of hoisin sauce or harissa in your chicken pie, will help  lift your pie out of ho-hum pie-dom.

SCRUNCHED FILO FISH PIES
Fish pies are most often served under mash, but using scrunched up double layers of butter filo to top a fish pie instead gives it a golden crunch that has more textural interest. Start with a simple recipe, such as Warren Mendes’ Quick Filo Fish Pies with their creamy dill and yoghurt filling loaded with flaked hot smoked salmon, peas, fennel and green prawns, as this requires no extra cooking of the filling.

After making the filling, split across four small pie dishes topped with two sheets of buttered filo that you partially scrunched up. These take about 30 minutes to bake until golden and the prawns are cooked.

B’STILLA
This North African filo pie – traditionally made with pigeon – is the ancestor of all these funky modern filo pies. If you want  a no-hassle version, try the recipe we have online made with barbecue chicken, parsley, coriander, almonds and cinnamon. Using a springform cake tin makes baking this a breeze. Dusting with icing sugar after baking is essential – and better yet  if you scorch lines across the top of this snowy-white expanse using a heated metal skewer. Remember, the skewer needs to  be hot so use a cloth or oven mitt to hold it as you want the b’stilla, not your hand, to carry the scorch marks.

CLASSIC PIES IMPROVED
Just one sur-pies ingredient can give you a pie that flies. Anneke Manning includes prosciutto in her chicken, leek and thyme pie under a simple, homemade flaky  pastry lid, while Maggie Beer lines mini  loaf tins with puff pastry and fills them with a classic chicken and mushroom filling scented with fresh bay leaves.

If you want to go beef, then I recommend giving Guinness and stilton cheese a go for a change rather than using the more traditional red wine. We have a recipe for this one online, too.

FREE-FORM PIES
For some, the tedium of pressing pastry into a fluted tin or blind baking can be alleviated by taking a free-form approach to pie making. Belinda Jeffery’s borek filled with potato, feta and ricotta and greens such as spinach, mint and dill might fit the bill but I’d also recommend the galette. These are free-form bakes where the pastry edges are pulled up and over most of the filling. Once you master this simple technique (most often seen with fruit fillings) there is loads of fun to be had  with savoury fillings, such as roast pumpkin with three cheeses (parmesan, gruyere and grated cheddar in the crust), or perhaps halved, par-cooked Brussels sprouts and parsnips with mozzarella cheese and bacon.

FAMILY HAND PIES
There was a craze for “hand pies” a couple of years back, inspired by French pithiviers and Latin American empanadas. These are worth enlarging into a family pie; especially if using the empanada filling of beef, capsicum, caramelised onions and olives. 

FAMILY SAMOSA PIE
I was also very happy with a family-sized pea and pumpkin samosa pie I did for a cookbook a while back, inspired by the classic Indian street snack. The filling also had diced potato, caramelised onions and plenty of panch poran Indian spice mix. This is a simple mix of pounded fennel and fenugreek seeds with whole cumin, nigella and mustard seeds which add texture and bursts of flavour. Let the filling cool before shaping this pie. Split your pastry into two unequal halves. The smaller half is for the base and the larger is rolled out to form the top; draped over the filling-ladened base and crimped together to seal. 

OTHER UNCLASSIC PIES
There is so much more that can fill pies other than beef and burgundy, or chicken and leek. Try loading them with coq au vin or butter chicken. And there’s a great recipe online for a Moroccan chicken pie with apricots and green olives.

BREAKFAST PIES
Surely one of the craziest pie ideas comes from chef Matt Wilkinson, who partners tomatoe-y baked cannellini beans with egg and cheese in a bacon-topped pie that makes for a great way to start a wintry day.  

Related story: Matt Preston’s best lazy cooking hacks, for when you can’t be fudged

Find the recipe for the chicken, leek, mushroom and pancetta pie pictured above, here.