Stargazy pie white fish will work for the filling, with pilchards or herring just added for the presentation. Prior to putting it in the pie the fish should be skinned and boned (except the head and tail) to make it easier to eat. Along with the fish, the other traditional ingredients are thickened milk, eggs and boiled potatoes. There are many recipe variations around the traditional ingredients, some of which include hard-boiled eggs, bacon, onion, mustard or white wine. Other alternatives to the main fish can be crayfish and rabbit or mutton. The stargazy pie is always topped with a pastry lid,
Cheese and onion pie Cheese and onion pie Cheese and onion pie is a savoury dish, the basis of which is an outer layer of savoury pastry filled with a mixture of cheese, onion, herbs and sometimes potato. Many recipes contain Lancashire cheese, indicating parentage of North West England. Whilst the dish may have its origins in French cuisine (Tarte a L'Oignon), this was a food traditionally popular with the working classes of Northern England, due to a combination of relatively cheap ingredients which provided sustenance to workers, particularly in the mining, steel, and manufacturing industries. Today there are artisan versions of the dish