Mutton pies must be provided

Shooting parties often feature in detective novels of a certain era, and there always seems to be food on offer. Constance Spry was born in 1886 and found fame as a flower arranger, and later a cookery writer. She published her famous cookery book in 1956, and should you ever need to cater for a shooting party, here is her advice:

The tradition for shooting parties changes little, but varies according to the distances food has to travel and whether it is to be eaten indoors, in a keeper’s cottage, perhaps, where facilities for keeping it hot are available, or whether it is to be eaten in the open. Sometimes the food is brought from the house by car, possibly in a hay-box.
One large dish is appreciated, and the following dishes recommend themselves: Lancashire hot-pot , or a beef-steak and kidney pudding, or possibly a glorified Irish stew of mutton chops, mushrooms, and oysters.
Plum cake, mince pies, apple cake,, fresh fruit, Stilton cheese and celery, cherry brandy and hot coffee are all part of such a meal.
Rosemary remembers cooking for a party for Sandown races; it was classic either to the family or the races, she cannot remember which, that mutton pies containing both carrots and onions must be provided.

The recipe for mutton pie is quite simple – a mutton stew, topped with pastry. Mutton, an onion studied with cloves, bouquet garni, peppercorns, diced carrot and potato, chopped onion, seasoning – and topped with flaky pastry or hot-water crust. Constance suggests individual pies –  for a fancy picnic, which is essentially what a shooting-party was, plus guns and dead birds!