Ravinder Bhogal’s cheese and spring onion pie. Photograph: Matthew Hague/The Guardian. Food styling: Tamara Vos. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Georgia Rudd. View image in fullscreen Ravinder Bhogal’s cheese and spring onion pie. Photograph: Matthew Hague/The Guardian. Food styling: Tamara Vos. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Georgia Rudd. Food Cheese pie, seed crackers and prawn rolls: Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for cooking with filo Making your own filo is notoriously faffy but, luckily, there are great ready-made versions out there that make these crunchy, golden savoury treats a doddle
Ravinder Bhogal Mon 7 Sep 2026 07.00 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google I love this gossamer-thin pastry for its lightness and crunch, not least because it can be used for both sweets and savouries. Once, on a trip to Athens, I learned how to make filo from scratch: it needs to be rolled very, very thin, so, unless you are skilled with a rolling pin, it’s hard and time-consuming. Luckily there are good ready-made varieties out there (if you’re using the frozen variety, make sure it’s fully defrosted). And always keep the pastry you are not working with under a damp cloth, because it dries out very quickly and will probably crack.
This boasts four varieties of cheese and a ruffly top of crisp, golden filo that requires no complicated technique.
Prep 15 min Cook 1 hr, plus cooling Serves 6
300g feta , crumbled 250g firm ricotta , crumbled 200g halloumi , grated 150g gruyere or a sharp cheddar , grated 150ml single cream 3 eggs 25g chives , finely chopped 25g dill , finely chopped 25g flat-leaf parsley , finely chopped 1 large bunch spring onions (8-10), trimmed and finely sliced Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon Nutmeg Sea salt and black pepper 125g butter , melted 8 sheets filo Sesame seeds , to scatter
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. In a large bowl, combine the cheeses, cream, eggs, herbs, spring onion, lemon zest and a good grating of nutmeg, then season to taste.
Line the base of a 20-23cm cake tin with baking paper and grease the sides with melted butter. Lay a sheet of pastry in the bottom of the tin, allowing the excess to hang over the sides. Brush generously with butter, then lay on another sheet of pastry at a slight angle, so it doesn’t completely overlap the first sheet, and brush that with butter, too. Repeat until you have six filo sheets covering the base and sides of the tin.
Spoon the filling into the pastry base and flatten it out with the back of the spoon. Brush another piece of pastry with butter, fold it in half and lay it on top of the filling, tucking in the excess pastry. Repeat with the last sheet of pastry, then fold in all the overhanging filo to create a lovely textured top. Brush with the remaining butter, sprinkle over the sesame seeds, then bake for 45 minutes, until golden. Leave the pie to rest and cool for 15 minutes before serving.
View image in fullscreen Ravinder Bhogal’s seeded filo crackers. These require no dough making or rolling: they’re simply made by layering ready-made filo pastry. They have an addictive crunch, and are ideal for swiping through your favourite dips.
Prep 5 min Cook 20 min, plus cooling Serves 6
1 tbsp fennel seeds 1 tbsp caraway seeds 1 tbsp coriander seeds 2 tbsp sesame seeds 2 tbsp nigella seeds 1 tsp pul biber ½ tsp onion powder 1 tsp flaky sea salt 4 sheets filo pastry 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
In a mortar, lig…