Bacon & cheese turnovers

A delicious puff pastry bacon and cheese turnover recipe that will elevate snack time in your house to the next level!

The cheese and bacon turnovers are perfect for feeding starving children in that awkward after-school, before-dinner time slot, and they are also a great post-pub snack for adults too!

Why should you try it?

1. Only 5 ingredients (with an optional extra!).
2. Uses ready-rolled puff pastry to save time.
3. Perfect for after-school snacks.

Puff Pastry – buy ready-rolled puff pastry for ease but feel free to make your own if you have the time.

Bacon – grill the smoked back bacon rashers for a few minutes on each side so that they become really crispy when baked in the pastry (and you can ensure they are cooked through). If you use thin streaky bacon you don’t need to grill them beforehand as they will cook at the same time as the puff pastry.

Cheese – grated extra mature cheddar is my cheese of choice in these turnovers, but any hard cheese would work well. Double Gloucester cheese would give them a real colour boost!

Egg – the egg wash helps the pastry stick together and also gives the turnovers that gorgeous golden colour when they are baked in the oven.

Dijon Mustard – an optional extra, but one that really complements the cheese and helps to make them taste even MORE cheesy!

Instructions

One: Preheat the oven to 200°c (180 fan/ 400F/ Gas 6) and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

Two: Cut the puff pastry sheet into 6 equal squares with a sharp knife. Lay them on the diagonal as shown in the picture below.

Three: If you are using the Dijon mustard, spread ¼ of a teaspoon onto the middle of each piece of pastry then top with the bacon (I grill the bacon rashers first for a few minutes so they go really crispy when baked in the puff pastry) and grated cheese.

Four: Brush the egg wash around all sides of the pastry them fold up one corner into the middle, followed by the other corner before pinching the two pieces together with your finger and thumb (this will stop them coming apart when baked).

Five: Brush all of the turnovers with egg wash then bake them in the oven for 18 minutes until golden and crispy. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before eating.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
• 3 tbsp soft cheese
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
• 6 rashers dry-cured smoked bacon
• 100g mature cheddar (gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated)
• 1 egg beaten

Instuctions

step 1:

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 or if using an air-fryer, heat to 180C for 4 mins. Unravel the pastry on the sheet of baking parchment it comes with, and cut into six squares. Mix the soft cheese with the mustard, if using, and a good grinding of black pepper. Divide between the middles of the pastry squares, and smooth over in a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite side.

step 2:

Lay a bacon rasher over the soft cheese, then scatter over the cheese. Brush the two exposed corners of pastry with beaten egg, and fold over the top of the filling to join together. Brush the tops with more egg, then slide the baking parchment on to a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 mins until the cheese has melted and the pastry is golden. Or, if using an air-fryer, put the turnovers in the air-fryer basket and cook for 10-12 mins until the cheese has melted and the pastry is golden. You may need to do this in two batches.

step 3:

Transfer to a cooling rack for 5-10 mins before serving warm. Will keep chilled in an airtight container for two-three days.