Mushroom Pâté Recipe

Grease the loaf tin lightly with butter, and cut a long strip of baking paper to line the bottom and shorter sides. Put the butter in a large, shallow pan over a medium heat to melt, then add the onion. Fry, stirring, for 5 minutes until starting to soften, then add the garlic and mushrooms. The mushrooms will produce liquid as they cook – keep cooking until all the liquid has gone (25-30 minutes). Take the pan off the heat and stir in the Marmite or nutritional yeast, if using, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Switch on the oven at 180⁰C (Gas Mark 4). Carefully tip the mushroom mixture into a food processor and blend to a purée, then add the breadcrumbs and the beaten egg and blend again until mixed through. Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin, gently smooth the top, then bake for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave the pâté to cool in its tin, then gently run a blunt knife along the longer sides to loosen, place a plate over the top of the tin and invert to turn out the pâté on to the plate. Remove the baking paper and refrigerate until needed.