Grease the baking sheets with lard.
Place the apricots in the small bowl and add the wine. Leave to soak for half an hour.
Mince the cooked veal and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the suet, ginger, saffron and salt and mix in well.
Chop the soaked apricots into small pieces and mix into the other ingredients with enough wine to blend. Cover with clingfilm and set aside.
To make the pastry place the lard and water in the small pan and heat until the lard has melted.
Sift the flour into the mixing bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
Make a well in the flour and pour in the hot lard mixture.
Use a wooden spoon to mix in and then use your hands to bring to a dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough is very smooth.
Form the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and separate the dough into two lumps, one bigger than the other. Wrap the smaller lump in clingfilm and set aside.
Oil the outside of the dolly or jar and cover with clingfilm.
Divide the larger lump of dough into 6 and use the palm of your hands to roll into balls.
Use the end of a rolling pin to make a dent in the middle of a dough ball and place the dolly or jar in it, pressing down so the base of the pie is about 4mm thick. Bring the edges of the dough up over the dolly or jar, pressing in with your hands to keep the dough upright. You should be able to get the sides of the pies to measure 4cm.
Trim the top edges of the pie base while the dolly or jar are still in place.
Carefully remove the dolly or jar and then the clingfilm.
Fill the pie shells with the meat mixture.
Roll out the smaller dough ball and cut out a pie lid with the pastry cutter. Wet the edges of the pie base with a little water. Place the pastry round on top of the pie and crimp the edges with your fingers to ensure the edges are sealed.
Make a small hole in the centre of the pie with a skewer.
Repeat making the pies until the dough has been used up.
Place the pies on a baking sheet and place in the fridge for an hour to harden up the pastry.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
Remove the pies from the fridge and brush the chilled chewets with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/375F/gas 5 and bake for a further 25 minutes or until golden and the filling is bubbling hot.
You can eat the pies hot from the oven or allow them to cool and serve at room temperature.
