Golden, flaky crusts hide rich, savory fillings brimming with local ingredients. Each chicken pot pie tells a story.
Filling the Gaps: Chicken Pot Pies in Our Manitoba Cookbook
This summer, as our land lab program takes a seasonal pause, our focus has shifted to a different kind of creativity: cooking. The kitchen has become our laboratory, and our tables, the site of experimentation and delight. It’s at the land lab that our Come Eat With Me Manitoba Cookbook really took shape, capturing the flavours, stories, and local ingredients that define our community. From hearty soups to sweet preserves, each recipe is a reflection of the people and land that inspire them. Even during the slower fall and winter months, when most of our activities move indoors and online, the act of cooking remains a grounding, communal practice—a way to stay connected, inventive, and nourished.
That said, our cookbook has a glaring omission: chicken pot pies.
Despite being a classic comfort food, we currently have almost no recipes for this timeless dish. It’s a gap we’re eager to fill. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be experimenting with crusts, fillings, and seasonings, crafting pot pies that are rich with local flavors and suited for every skill level—from the beginner cook to the seasoned chef.
This ongoing culinary project, which began in 2023–2024 as part of our food security and supply chain research, is more than just filling a page in our cookbook; it continues to grow, with new recipes added from time to time, expanding our kitchen stories, preserving comfort foods for the seasons ahead, and keeping the tradition of cooking alive in every corner of our community.
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