Melbourne winter’s set in and that’s a joyous time for me because it means pies – and quite possibly a cheeky red to wash them down with...

I’ve just polished off one of Nancy’s Scrumlicious vege pies for lunch: a very pie-worthy casing of buttery gluten free pastry and vege goodness.

Nancy won’t give up her pastry secrets, and I don’t really blame her, but I’d love just a hint or two to bring me some more joy in the kitchen.

I find making gluten free pastry to be particularly challenging. Like the time I spent six hours making a packet ‘puff’ pastry, that was anything but puffy, or palatable, in the end.

Buying ready-made frozen sheets can be just as frustrating. I’m still trying to find a brand that behaves properly in the kitchen.

These gorgeous-looking lamb sausage rolls were a bit of an experiment I whipped up when a friend came looking for someone to watch the footy with him. I’m embarrassed to say they were inedible.

The filling was okay – a blend of leftover roast lamb, roasted onion and rosemary – but the pastry quickly turned rock hard and had a very strange texture and non-taste (thankfully we had some Estrella Damm Daura to take our mind off the lack of appropriate footy treats).

Apparently it took Nancy two years to get her gluten free pastry ‘right’ and she took a tip from Margaret Fulton to use butter over margarine, which is something my Nan would have wholeheartedly supported! My tastebuds thank her for it...

But I still need a pastry for my home cooked pies. I’ve perfected a duck and pinot filling that needs a suitably delicious casing – any ideas?

What’s working for you? Any tips or recipes to share?

PS if you want to know more about Nancy’s story, you can find it here, and you can find her pies and quiches in-store at Ducks now!