Stuart Meade and Ruth Dermott run Red Mie, a small farm in Ballaugh, where they keep herds of Loaghtan sheep, hens, ducks and geese, bees and grow vegetables and herbs. They also promote awareness and understanding of farming and food production.

Red Mie (Manx Gaelic for ’good thing’) were behind the successful ’ManxMarch’ initiative, where people were encouraged to buy and eat only locally-produced food for a month.

Here, Stuart shares a favourite recipe, made with as much available, fresh Manx produce as possible.

Fish Pie with King Scallops

For the filling you’ll need two free-range eggs (I personally recommend Red Mie eggs but I’m led to believe other egg suppliers are available)

600ml Isle of Man Creameries milk, or if you like you can use half cream and half milk, or all cream.

It’s meant to be indulgent and filling and you aren’t meant to count calories. However, if you use skimmed milk I will silently judge you.

One leek, chopped into coins and quartered.

50 grams Creameries butter and 50 grams of plain Laxey flour.

Two bay leaves

For the fish, use 100 grams of smoked haddock fillet, skinned, 200 grams of salmon fillet, skinned, one whole smoked mackerel, skin removed and flaked, 300g hake or cod (or any white fish you like) and eight fresh king scallops, shucked and cleaned and halved.

I take the roe off the scallops for fish pie but it’s your call.

I halve the scallops to ensure they cook through, although this isn’t necessary if you decide to use Queenies instead.

You can get the fish and shellfish from your favoured local supplier, such as Devereaus, Paddy’s, Isle of Man Seafoods, or straight from the boat!

We’ve been lucky to get some from James Lee Shellfish and Mackerel Mann. There’s also Kermelly Seafood who have a stall at the Saturday Farmer’s Market in Ramsey. Generally with the fish, mix and match what you like so long as the weights are about right.

The King scallop season finishes at the end of May.

However, you could replace with king prawns.

For the mash topping you’ll need five or six potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks. People always recommend certain types of potatoes but, frankly, I’m mashing them up and adding ridiculous amounts of butter and cream so varieties of potato probably aren’t overly important.

Add Creameries butter and cream or milk to your satisfaction, although I’m not putting my amounts in here for fear of embarrassment!

100g grated oak-smoked Isle of Man Creameries cheese and a handful of breadcrumbs for a topping.

Method

Firstly, pre-heat your oven to 200c.

Get a pan of water onto a rolling boil for your eggs. You want them hard-boiled then peeled and sliced once cool.

Boil the potatoes until softened, drain, mash and add butter and cream and a dash of salt and black pepper.

Warm the milk and/or cream in a large deep frying pan with the leeks and bay leaves.

When warmed through and the leeks are softening add the fish, but not the scallops, and poach for about five to seven minutes.

Discard the bay leaves, remove the poached fish and put to in an oven dish, and roughly chop the fillets in to chunks.

Strain the white sauce into a jug and add the leeks to the fish. Season the sauce if you feel like it although the smoked fish should make it salty enough for you.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour to make a paste.

Slowly add the white sauce and stir until you get a nice smooth thick consistency.

Add to the oven dish and mix with the leeks and chunks of fish. Add the raw scallops and mix in.

Next, place the eggs over the top, pressing slightly into the sauce.

Add the mash a desert spoonful at a time, starting at the edges and moving to the centre so it seals around the side of the dish and smooth over as evenly as possible.

You may wish to be imaginative and use your fork to create a design on the top; a triskelion perhaps, or a rudimentary fish, or a trawler gliding past Peel Castle on a calm sea with the sunset and The Mountains Of Mourne hazily visible in the background.

You may also just want the simplicity of basic forklines and I would not blame you for one second if you did.

Sprinkle over the grated smoked cheese and breadcrumbs to give it a nice crispy topping and bang it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Next, open the wine.

Serve with your choice of fresh veg. Green beans, sprouting or regular broccoli and asparagus all work well and will allow you to labour under the illusion you’re being supremely healthy.

This recipe should serve four reasonably greedy people.