Vegetarian "Fish" Pie with Smoked Paprika Béchamel

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C / 400°F). Tear the king oyster mushrooms into thick strips, quarter the artichoke hearts, finely dice the shallot, mince the garlic, grate the Cheddar, roughly chop the capers, finely chop the parsley, zest the lemon, and crumble the nori sheets.

Toss the mushroom strips with the olive oil, ½ tsp smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt. Spread in a single layer on a baking tray and roast at 200°C for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and slightly chewy at the edges. Set aside.

Place the potato chunks in a large saucepan of well-salted cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook for 18–20 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain thoroughly and allow to steam-dry in the colander for 5 minutes.

Cook 30 g of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, swirling constantly, until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty. Pour the brown butter over the drained potatoes, add the warmed 80 ml milk, and mash until smooth. Fold in 60 g of the grated Cheddar, then season generously with salt and white pepper. Set aside.

Melt the remaining 30 g butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until softened and translucent.

Add the garlic and remaining ½ tsp smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

Add the flour and stir vigorously for 2 minutes to form a pale roux — it should smell biscuity and pull away from the sides cleanly.

Add the 500 ml room-temperature milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Cook over medium heat for 5–6 minutes, whisking, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the béchamel from the heat. Stir in the Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, capers, parsley, lemon zest, and crumbled nori. Season with salt and white pepper.

Fold the roasted mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and frozen peas into the béchamel until evenly combined. Pour the filling into a deep 2-litre ovenproof baking dish and spread level.

Spoon the mashed potato over the filling in large, rough dollops, then spread gently to cover, leaving some textured peaks and ridges for crunch. Scatter the remaining 40 g Cheddar evenly over the top.

Bake at 200°C for 25–30 minutes until the topping is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling visibly around the edges. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.