Cottage pie bake

• beef↗1kg kg

  shin or feather blade, cut into very large chunks

• sunflower oil tbsp
• bacon lardon↗200g g
• plain flour↗3 tbsp tbsp
• celery↗2

  sticks, chopped

• shallot↗200g g

  peeled

• beef stock cubes↗2
• thyme sprigs and bay leaves
• baby carrots or baby Chantenay carrot↗300g g
• Worcestershire sauce↗3 tbsp tbsp
• potato↗1 ½kg kg

  peeled and cut into large chunks

• butter↗25g g
• mature cheddar↗85g g

  grated

• milk↗100ml ml
• English mustard↗2 tsp tsp

  powder

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Brown beef in the oil, in batches, in a large casserole or pan. Tip in the lardons, shallots and celery, and fry for 10 mins until softened and golden. Stir in the flour until absorbed, crumble in the stock cubes, then gradually stir in 1 litre water and the Worcestershire sauce. Add herbs, return the beef and any juices, cover and simmer for 1 hr. Add carrots, cover and simmer for 1 hr more until really tender.

2. 2

   Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain well, return to pan over a gentle heat and allow to steam-dry for 2 mins. Mash with the butter, cheese, milk, mustard powder and seasoning.

3. 3

   Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Strain beef and veg into a large colander over a deep pan. Set sauce over a high heat for 5 mins to reduce. Shred beef into chunky pieces and transfer to a baking dish with veg and bacon, and some thickened sauce. Pipe or spoon on mash. Bake for 30 mins until mash is golden and crisp. The pie can be assembled and chilled for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, defrost thoroughly, then bake as above, but for 50 mins-1 hr.