No special ingredients are required to make this Ham, Cheese and Pickle Quiche (Ploughman's Quiche) recipe with a cheesy filling and hidden layer of pickle. A simple to make basic shortcrust pastry using a mix of plain and wholemeal flour and a few store cupboard ingredients. Use a ready made pastry shell if you wish.
Follow these instructions for Blind Baking Shortcrust Pastry and how To Line A Tart Tin With Pastry and you won't go wrong.
I was inspired to make this recipe after a visit to a local cafe Gray's of Rothwell where we had a delicious afternoon tea. A Ham, Cheese and Pickle Quiche or Ploughman's Quiche was on the menu and we loved it. I just had to make my own recipe for it.
A savoury quiche like this is ideal for a weekend lunch or part of a main course. Serve with fresh tomatoes, fresh vegetables or a green salad. You can make the dough or pastry tart shell in advance and add the filling and bake the next day. If you don't have the time to make the pastry, use a ready made pastry shell instead. But I urge you to give pastry making a try.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used to make this Ham, Cheese and Pickle Quiche, with possible alternatives and why I may have used them.
- Butter and Vegetable Shortening - This recipe uses a mix of butter and vegetable shortening, which is ideal for making a basic shortcrust pastry. It results in a light textured pastry when baked.
- Cream - Use either single or double cream or a mix of both. This adds richness to the filling.
- Ham - Ready cooked ham is fine or you can use leftover ham from a previous meal. Cooked bacon would be nice too.
- Milk - This helps balance out the richness if adding double cream.
- Cheese - Use a firm strong cheese such as Cheddar. Or a combination of strong cheese.
- Eggs - Medium, free range and organic if you can.
- Flour - I love using Spelt flour. This recipe uses a mix of plain white spelt and wholemeal spelt flour. Using plain white and plain wholemeal flour is fine.
- Seasoning - A pinch of salt in the pastry dough is fine. Season the filling to your own taste with salt and pepper.
- Chutney/Pickle - Use a tart chunky pickle or chutney, such as Ploughman's Pickle. There are some smooth Pickle chutneys on the market which is also fine. If you can't get hold of any, use a thick brown sauce instead.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Helpful Guides for Making Shortcrust Pastry.
I have put together a few simple guides that will help you get the perfect shortcrust pastry results. Take a few moments to read through them.
- Pastry Making FAQs
- What Is The Best Tart Pan (Tart Tin) To Use For Pastry
- How To Line A Tart Tin With Pastry
- How To Blind Bake Shortcrust Pastry
Step By Step Instructions For Making a Ploughman's Quiche
Step 1: Grease the base and sides of an 8 inch loose bottom tart tin with softened butter.
Step 2: Make the Shortcrust Pastry
- Food Processor Method - Blitz together the flour, salt, butter and vegetable shortening until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add enough of the very cold water to make a smooth dough with a putty texture. Note: You may not need all the water.
- Rubbing in Method - Using your fingertips, rub the flour, salt, butter and vegetable shortening together until you reach fine breadcrumbs. This will take a few minutes. Add enough water as mentioned above and bring it all together until you have a smooth dough. Do not overhandle the dough as this sometimes makes it tough when baked.
- Flatten the dough a little, then wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for about 30 mins to rest and firm up.
Step 3: Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface or better still, between two sheets of baking parchment to about 3 mm thick (about the thickness of a pound coin) and large enough to line your 8” prepared tart tin. Line the tin with pastry. Use this simple guide 'How To Line A Tart Tin With Pastry' to help you. Press the dough firmly into the sides and base of the tart tin leaving the remaining dough overlapping the sides.
Step 4: Using your rolling pin, roll over the top of the tart tin to cut through the pastry. Or use a sharp serrated knife to cut away the pastry overhang. Tip: Freeze any offcuts to make a quick pie topping another time.
Step 5: Using a fork, prick the base of the pastry at intervals. This helps the pastry remain flat during blind baking allowing any air bubbles to escape.
Step 6: Cover the pastry base with crunched up baking parchment and return the dough back to the fridge and leave for a further 10 mins to rest again and firm up a little TIP: Covering the pastry dough while in the fridge, helps prevent it from drying out. Preheat the oven to 200c deg fan assisted.
Step 7: When ready to blind bake, remove the pastry from the fridge and add enough dried beans to cover the baking parchment and fill the pastry case supporting the sides.
Step 8: Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for 20 mins or until the pastry feels dry to the touch. Remove the parchment and beans and return to the oven for 2 more minutes to dry a little more. When baked, turn the oven down to 170 deg and place the tart on a baking tray to cool a little.
Step 9: Spread the chutney or Ploughman pickle over the base of the baked pastry shell.
Step 10: Arrange a few slices of ham over the top of the chutney.
Step 11: Mix together in a large jug, the cream, milk, half of the grated cheese, eggs and season to taste. Give everything a good mix. Pour the milky egg mixture over the top of the chutney and ham, then add the remaining pieces of ham on top of the filling, followed by the rest of the grated cheese.
Step 12: Bake in the oven on a baking tray on the middle shelf for about 30 - 35 mins or until baked in the centre with a very slight wobble and a golden brown colour on the top.
Leave the quiche to set before slicing a serving.
Storage
Fridge - When baked, store the quiche in the fridge for up to a couple of days. I am not sure if it will stand up to freezing.
Freeze - Make the dough and freeze for up to a month. Wrap well in baking parchment and label it with the date and type of pastry.
Tips and Faqs
- Tip 1 - Allow the dough to rest and firm up as often as you can helping to reduce the amount of shrinkage during baking.
- Tip 2 - The pastry dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for baking the next day. Wrap it in cling film to help prevent it from drying out.
- Tip 3 - You can make the pastry shell baked and unbaked ahead of time. Keep it in the fridge to bake the next day. Remember to keep it covered to prevent the dough from drying out
Wet fillings such as quiches and custards need the pastry to be blind baked first. This helps prevent the liquid from seeping through the pastry causing a soggy bottom.
Always blind bake the pastry shell first making sure it is baked through.
Other Pastry Recipes
Looking for other shortcrust pastry recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried making this Ham, Cheese and Pickle Quiche, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Subscribe to my Newsletter!
Recipe
Ham Cheese and Pickle Quiche (Ploughman's Quiche)
Equipment
- 1 8 inch Tart tin
- Baking Parchment
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 50 g Wholemeal flour such as spelt flour.
- 100 g Spelt White Flour plain white flour is fine.
- 50 g unsalted butter fridge cold cut into cubes
- 25 g vegetable shortening, such as Trex or Crisco
- pinch of crushed sea salt
- 2 tablespoons very cold water
For the Filling
- 100 g chutney such as Ploughman's Pickle
- 50 g cooked ham cooked bacon is alo fine
- 200 ml single or double cream
- 50 ml whole milk
- 75 g cheddar cheese grated
- 3 medium eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grease the base and sides of an 8 inch loose bottom tart tin with softened butter.
Making the Pastry
- Food Processor Method - Blitz together the flour, butter, vegetable shortening and salt until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add enough of the very cold water to make a smooth dough with a putty like texture. Note: You may not need all the water.50 g Wholemeal flour such as spelt flour., 100 g Spelt White Flour, 50 g unsalted butter fridge cold, 25 g vegetable shortening, such as Trex or Crisco, pinch of crushed sea salt, 2 tablespoons very cold water
- Rubbing in Method - Using your fingertips, rub the flour, salt, butter and vegetable shortening together until you reach fine breadcrumbs. This will take a few minutes. Add enough water as above and bring it all together until you have a smooth dough. Do not overhandle the dough as this sometimes makes it tough when baked.
- Flatten the dough a little, then wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 mins to rest and firm up.
- Roll out the pastry dough between two sheets of baking parchment to about 3 mm thick and large enough to line your 8” tart tin. Line the prepared tin with pastry. Use the simple guide 'How To Line A Tart Tin With Pastry' to help you. Press the dough firmly into the sides and base of the tart tin leaving the remaining dough overlapping the sides.
- Using your rolling pin, roll over the top of the tart tin to cut through the pastry. Tip: Freeze any offcuts to make a quick pie topping another time.
- Using a fork, prick the base of the pastry at intervals. This helps the pastry remain flat during blind baking allowing any air bubbles to escape.
- Cover the pastry base with crunched up baking parchment and return the dough back to the fridge and leave for a further 10 mins to rest again and firm up a little TIP: Covering the pastry dough while in the fridge, helps prevent it from drying out. Preheat the oven to 200c deg fan assisted.
- When ready to blind bake, remove the pastry from the fridge and add enough dried beans to cover the baking parchment and fill the pastry case supporting the sides.
- Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until the pastry feels dry to the touch. Remove the parchment and beans and return to the oven for 2 more minutes to dry a little more. When baked, turn the oven down to 170c deg and place the tart on a baking tray to cool a little.
- Spread the chutney or Ploughman's pickle over the base of the baked pastry shell.100 g chutney
- Arrange a few slices of ham over the top of the chutney.50 g cooked ham
- Mix together, in a large jug, the cream, milk, half of the grated cheese, eggs and season to taste. Give everything a good mix. Pour the mixture over the top of the chutney and ham, then add the remaining pieces of ham on top of the filling, followed by the rest of the grated cheese.200 ml single or double cream, 50 ml whole milk, 75 g cheddar cheese, 3 medium eggs, Salt and pepper
- Bake in the oven on the middle shelf on a baking tray for about 30 - 35 mins or until baked in the centre with a slight wobble and a golden colour on the top.
- Leave the quiche to set before slicing and serving.
Your Private Notes
Notes
Nutrition
Note: Recipes are tested using Metric only. The provided nutrition information is an estimate for the entire recipe, the calorie accuracy nutritional facts, unit and portion conversion are calculated by a third party app. and are not guaranteed.
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