For me, fish pie is the definition of comfort food. It reminds me of a time when the fork was too big to hold properly - I would scoop the food up and most of the time drop more than I ate.

I like to use a mixture of  fish in this recipe -smoked haddock, salmon and king prawns – it really gives you a taste of the sea, but don’t be afraid to use other fish such as monkfish, cod, mussels, bass, scallops etc., Really, the list is endless.

If I’m in the right mood and have some spare in the fridge however, I can just about accept some grated parmesan over the mashed potato. The saltiness of the cheese really complements the smokiness of the haddock.

(Serves 4)
1kg potato, peeled and cut into chunks
25g butter
splash of single cream
600ml milk
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
300g salmon fillets
250g smoked haddock
150g king prawns, deveined
90g butter
40g plain flour, sifted
splash of double cream
2 eggs, hard boiled
Salt and pepper
25g parmesan, grated

1. Cook the potatoes in salted water until soft, drain and mash until smooth. Mix in the butter and single cream, season and put aside.
2. In a saucepan add the milk, onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and bring slowly to the boil. Add the haddock and salmon. Simmer for 10 minutes, add the prawns and cook gently for another 5 minutes by which time all the fish should be cooked through.
3. Take the fish out of the milk and place somewhere to cool for 10 minutes. Sieve the milk and keep.
4. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and mix until a paste forms. Now slowly add the milk bit by bit, whisking all the time until thick, rich and smooth, season. Leave on a very low heat whilst you prep the fish. 
5. Flake the salmon and haddock into lovely big pieces and place in a baking dish. Scatter over the prawns. Peel the hard boiled eggs and quarter. Place over the top of the fish distributing evenly. Preheat the oven to 190c.
6. Pour over the fishy sauce, making sure everything is covered and there are no air pockets. Now spread over the mashed potato and fluff up with a fork. Sprinkle over the parmesan, if using.
7. Place in the oven and cook for 40-50 minutes until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling. Let the pie stand for 10 minutes before serving.