To make from scratch, I won't deny, is somewhat of a lengthy process, but so worth it. So here goes, ingredients and recipe as follows:

Poach whole chicken with half a lemon inside, a spoon of corriander seeds, a medium peeled onion, herbs, 2 carrots for 45-60 minues, depending on the size of your chicken, until tender and cooked through. Meanwhile, put 350g plain flour, 170g cold cubed butter and a tsp of salt in a mixer, blitz to breadcrumb consistency, add ice cold water (approx 1-2tsp) until nearly combined, tip into a bowl and bring together with your hands. Form 2 fat discs, wrap in clingfilm and refridgerate for an hour. Remove the chicken from stock, let rest until cooled, remove meat from bones, shread into 'pulled' bite size peices, discard skin. (Reduce stock further, skim fat and store for future use). In a heavy bottom pan, make roux for béchamel (large 60g butter, plus 80g of flour should do it - cook out starch, careful not to catch, the consistnecy will become sandy and the smell will change when it's ready), simultaneously in another pan, warm approx 3-4 cups of milk and add milk slowly to roux in batches, stirring constantly until béchamel becomes silky and of a good, thick pouring consistnecy. Yum. Add salt, fresh black pepper, nutmeg and 1.5 tbsp of thyme leaves removed from stalks. Cook a little longer and then let stand. Steam 5 medium carrots (peeled and sliced thickly) and half an onion (cubed). Slice 8 medium shitake mushrooms. Drain vegetables and in a large bowl combine all vegetables including a cupful of peas, two thirds of the pulled chicken and the thyme-béchamel sauce. Roll out the first disc of pastry on a floured surface, line your pie dish, leave enough over hang for the folded edge. Fill pie dish with filling, roll out lid and finish pie by folding over the base to seal in the lid - see picture. Paint with beaten egg and create a centre cut for steam to escape (the cross in the middle). Bake in centre of oven for 45 minutes until properly heated all the way through (knife should be piping hot from centre) and the pastry has a wonderful golden glow. Let stand until warm and enjoy with salads and new potatoes, cold beer and friends. Eat cold the next day for breakfast....oh, that's just me.

Perhaps my next project should be painting this wall ;)

The recipe is super simple. I've made this both by hand (making a mound of flour and cutting in all the ingredients on a work surface) and in the food processor, both work just as well and neither is more complicated than the other really. Ingredients: 2 1/4cups of all purpose flour, 3/4 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup chopped almonds, 200g cold butter, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp water, 1 tbsp of light molasses or corn syrup. Recipe: Make a mound of flour on a work surface, add the remaining ingredients, quickly cut in the butter, kneading lightly. Or, add all the dry ingredients to a food processor bowl with large blade, add butter, blitz to sand, add wet ingredients until combined, knead lightly. Form into two logs, 4-5 cm thick, wrap in plastic, refrigerate for at least two hours until hard. Cut into 1/2 cm slices, place on a baking tray (lined or non stick), bake in centre oven for 6-8 minutes until golden at 200C/400F.

This recipe is from "Sju Sorters Kakor - Swedish Cakes and Cookies"

Oven temp: 175C/350F, 3/4cup hazelnuts, 1cup sifted icing sugar, 4 egg whites, 2 cups whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1/3cup further of ground hazelnuts. Chocolate & cocoa to decorate. Draw 3 circles, each one 23cm in diameter, on baking parchment. Place 2 on one baking sheet and the third on another. Grease and flour the circles. Lightly toast the nuts in the oven. Rub off the skins with a clean teatowel/kitchen towel. Grind nuts and mix with powedered sugar. Beat egg whites until stiff (you should be able to hold the bowl up side down). Carefully fold in the nut mixture, spread the mixture over the circles. Bake in the centre of oven for around 10 minutes. The meringue should be the colour of biscuits, firm, but not hard. Let cool. Whip cream for filling and stir in the vanilla and nuts. Layer the meringues with cream in between. Spread cream over the top and sides. Arrange chocolate and dust with sifted cocoa.