Hearty pie and mash prepared — time to tuck in (8)
I believe the answer is:
shipmate
'hearty pie and mash prepared time to tuck in' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'pie and mash prepared time to tuck in' is the wordplay.
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'prepared' indicates anagramming the letters.
'time' becomes 't' (abbreviation).
'to tuck in' is an insertion indicator.
'pie' put after 'mash' is 'mashpie'.
'mashpie' anagrammed gives 'shipmae'.
'shipmae' enclosing 't' is 'SHIPMATE'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for shipmate that I've seen before include "Fellow crewman" , "Sailor on board, a real pal" , "Fellow sailor" , "Fellow crew member" , "Friend on board" .)