Preheat your oven to 180°C. Chop your “bacon” into small pieces. Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat, add your “chicken” pieces, and fry until almost cooked. Add the “bacon”, which cooks quicker, and continue frying until everything is golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

While that cooks, dice your onion and mince your garlic. Add the onion to the pan with a little more oil and cook until almost translucent, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the thyme sprigs, then the butter, followed by the flour. Cook this for a minute or two to remove the raw flour taste.

Gradually pour in the water, stirring continuously to avoid lumps, then add the milk. Drop in your stock pot and stir until dissolved. Let the sauce thicken until it’s the texture of gravy; if it reduces too much, add a splash more water. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.

Divide your pastry into four equal strips - you’ll fold each one over to make your bakes.

Make up a small amount of the boxed stuffing by hydrating around 20g (2 tablespoons) of dry stuffing mix with a little boiling water. Alternatively, you can prepare the full box following the packet instructions - you’ll only need about 3 tablespoons of the hydrated stuffing mix. Any leftover stuffing can be frozen if you’re not planning to use it imminently.

Stir your cooked “chicken” and “bacon” into the (slightly) cooled sauce along with a generous crack of black pepper. Break off small chunks of stuffing and add them with a few blobs of cranberry sauce, then gently fold everything together. Don’t overmix; you want the stuffing pieces to stay intact.

Spoon the filling onto one half of each pastry strip, fold the pastry over, and press the edges together to seal. Crimp the edges with a fork, lightly score the tops, and brush with a little oat milk mixed with olive oil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until golden and crisp.