flipPoached Rabbit and Herb Coffyn Pie
Poached Rabbit and Herb Coffyn Pie
Why this dish? Rabbit and small game caught in traps supplement the outlaws' daily fare. Enclosed in a thick crust (the 'coffyn'), the meat keeps and travels without spoiling — perfect for a mobile camp hunted by the sheriff.
A rustic pie with a dense crust encasing rabbit, bacon, and herbs, spiced with aromatics. The crust protects the meat and serves as both container and dish — it is kept, carried, and eaten on the move.
When Little John brings in the rabbits from his snares, we waste not a crumb! Marianne seals the flesh in a crust thick as a chest — the coffyn, we call it. It keeps for days, travels without fear, and when hunger strikes mid-chase, you break the crust and you're satisfied. The sheriff has his banquets; we have our pies — and the whole forest for our larder!
- •Rabbit (wild) — one, boned (lean meat)
- •Bacon — a few slices (fat and flavour)
- •Flour and lard — for the thick crust (protective coffyn)
- •Sage, parsley, pepper, ginger — to taste (seasoning)
- •Eggs — one or two (binder)
Poached Rabbit and Herb Coffyn Pie
A rustic pie with a dense crust encasing rabbit, bacon, and herbs, spiced with aromatics. The crust protects the meat and serves as both container and dish — it is kept, carried, and eaten on the move.
Why this dish? Rabbit and small game caught in traps supplement the outlaws' daily fare. Enclosed in a thick crust (the 'coffyn'), the meat keeps and travels without spoiling — perfect for a mobile camp hunted by the sheriff.
When Little John brings in the rabbits from his snares, we waste not a crumb! Marianne seals the flesh in a crust thick as a chest — the coffyn, we call it. It keeps for days, travels without fear, and when hunger strikes mid-chase, you break the crust and you're satisfied. The sheriff has his banquets; we have our pies — and the whole forest for our larder!
Ingredients (period version)
- Rabbit (wild) — one, boned (lean meat)
- Bacon — a few slices (fat and flavour)
- Flour and lard — for the thick crust (protective coffyn)
- Sage, parsley, pepper, ginger — to taste (seasoning)
- Eggs — one or two (binder)
Ingredients
- Boneless rabbit thighs/saddle — 500 g (meat)
- Smoked bacon lardons — 120 g (fat/umami)
- Flour — 350 g (crust)
- Lard or butter — 150 g (pastry (hot water crust))
- Boiling water — 120 ml (pastry)
- Sage, parsley, pepper, ginger — to taste (spices)
- Egg — 1 (for glaze) (finish)
Method
- Prepare a hot water crust: melt lard in boiling water, pour over salted flour, knead quickly into a pliable dough.
- Sauté diced rabbit and bacon, add herbs and spices, let cool.
- Line a mould with 2/3 of the dough, fill with the mixture, cover with the remaining dough, seal edges.
- Cut a vent in the centre, glaze with egg.
- Bake at 190°C for 50-60 minutes until golden brown; serve warm or cold.
How it was made : Medieval pies ('coffyns') had a thick, hard crust that served mainly as a cooking and storage container — it was not always eaten. This method allowed meat to keep for several days, a major advantage before refrigeration. Rabbit, introduced by the Normans, was raised in warrens but also poached.
The contemporary twist : Baked as small individual 'hand pies' to slip into a bag, a modern outlaw's snack version.
Sources : The Forme of Cury (14th c.) · Maggie Black, The Medieval Cookbook · C. M. Woolgar, The Culture of Food in England 1200-1500
Robin Hood · Charactorium
