Pastry plait with chicken filling

Preheat the oven to 220 ºC (440 ºF). Season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper and place in a saucepan. Add the cloves and a little water and boil until the chicken is tender. Remove all the bones and skin and dice the meat. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion until soft. Add the curry powder, coriander and thyme and fry for one minute more. Add the meat and fry for another three minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mashed potato, carrots and peas. Mix well. Defrost the pastry and roll out into a rectangle. Tidy the edges. Cut a ‘fringe’, 4 cm long and 2 cm wide strips along each long side of the rectangle. Place the chicken filling in the centre of the pastry rectangle. Fold the longer sides of the rectangle together so that the ‘fringes’ meet. Fold the pastry strips alternately together to form a French plait. Crimp the short open ends of the roll and brush with egg white. Place the roll on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through and golden brown.
Serves 6.