To everyone who emailed me this week starting “Hope you had a good weekend” I replied “I made pie which makes me happy.” I’ve had the best replies ever and have now coined this the ‘Universal Joy of Pie’.
People wanted to know what pie I baked. So I sent them a photo. They have shared their own recipes. They have asked for a slice. They’re looking forward to discussing pie next time we meet. It’s been a nice icebreaker to get to know people a little better outside of the normal work talk.
Trouble is, I now need a new recipe for when people ask how my weekend was next week…
If you’re writing to an employer asking for work, what would you write as an icebreaker? What is going to cut through the usual “please find attached my CV” and start a conversation with them?
I’m the kind of person that picks and chooses between recipes, and then kind of makes it up. This one was chicken and chorizo, with mushrooms and shallots, baked in sour cream pastry and topped with a paprika stuffing crust.
Top tip: when making the pastry, grate the butter straight from the fridge into the bowl, then sift the flour over. Gently lift and turn over the grated butter so the flour falls through and coats it. Makes it a cinch to then rub it to breadcrumbs. Welcome to the Joy of Pie!