Chunks of slow-braised beef in a rich dark ale gravy, topped with puff pastry and baked until deeply golden.
Prep
30 mins
Cook
2h 40m
Servings
6
Per serving
£2.40
Difficulty
medium
The filling needs a long, unhurried simmer until the beef falls apart at the touch of a fork - this is a pie worth starting the day before, so the flavour has time to deepen overnight.
Toss the beef in the flour, seasoned well with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and brown the beef in batches over a high heat, setting each batch aside.
Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan and cook for 8 minutes until softened. Return the beef to the pan and stir in any remaining flour.
Pour in the ale, scraping up any browned bits from the base, then add the crumbled stock cube, tomato purée, bay leaves and thyme.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on a low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is meltingly tender. Stir in the mushrooms for the final 20 minutes. Remove the herbs and leave the filling to cool completely - ideally overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Spoon the cold filling into a pie dish. Roll the pastry slightly larger than the dish, drape it over, trim and crimp the edges, and cut a small steam vent in the centre.
Brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake for 35-40 minutes until puffed and deep golden brown.