Step 1: To prepare pastry, dice the butter and pulse with the flour in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and continue to pulse until the dough starts to incorporate into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Pre heat oven to 180C. In a large glass or ceramic bowl combine meat, tomato sauce, eggs, mushrooms, onions and herbs and spices. Mix very well and pack into a large loaf pan or medium spring-form baking pan. Be sure to place the baking pan on a baking tray to catch excess cooking liquid. Bake at 180C for one hour or until the meatloaf has shrunk away from the sides of the pan. Drain away the liquid and allow the loaf to cool before removing carefully from the baking pan.

Step 3: Increase oven to 220C. Roll out a large rectangle of pastry – it should be large enough to cover the whole meatloaf. Cover the top and sides of the meat loaf. Glaze the pastry with egg wash mixture before scoring a criss-cross pattern across the top. Bake at 220C for an additional 30 minutes or until pastry is golden-brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving with extra Traditional Tomato Sauce.