This easy slow cooked pie is worth the wait with beef that is falling apart and packed with flavour. Served with potato, bacon, mushrooms and ale, it is topped with store bought puff pastry to mop up the juicy sauce.

Prep

1. Slice, weigh and prepare all the ingredients.

Cook

2. Heat a non-stick frying pan to a medium high heat with half the olive oil. Season the stewing beef with salt and pepper. Just as it is almost smoking, place the beef into the pan and brown the beef on all sides. Do this in batches as you do not want to overcrowd the pan.
3. Once complete, remove the beef into a bowl and pour 100ml of water into the hot pan to deglaze it and remove all the sediment from the pan which has a lot of flavour. Taste it, if it is not bitter, reserve the liquid for the pie. This liquid is known as the deglacage.
4. Add a quarter of the oil to the pan and cook the chopped bacon. Set aside.
5. Add the remaining oil to the pan and add the sliced onion, celery. Cook in the pan on a low to medium heat until softened.
6. Once soft, increase the heat to medium and add the crushed garlic cloves for 1 minute.
7. Return the beef and bacon to the pan with the vegetables and add two teaspoons of plain flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously.
8. Gradually add the stock, ale and reserved deglacage, stirring. Add the sugar, vinegar and bay leaf and bring the mixture to a simmer.
9. Simmer for 2.5 hours on a low heat, with a lid on, or until the meat is tender and falling apart.
10. Meanwhile, turn the oven onto 200c/ 180c fan.
11. Place the chopped potatoes into a deep saucepan of salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer until soft and cooked through. Drain and set aside.
12. Once the meat is tender, strain the mixture. Remove the bay leaf and set the meat and vegetables aside in a bowl and place the strained liquid into a saucepan.
13. Reduce the sauce by turning up the heat on the hob to medium-high. You are looking for a syrupy consistency and a nice, balanced flavour. Add salt and pepper to taste.
14. Place the reduced sauce, potatoes, raw mushrooms and reserved meat and vegetable mixture into the pie dish.
15. Remove the puff pastry from the fridge. Wet the edges of the pie dish with water and lay the pastry on top of the pie dish. Press down on the edges so the pastry and pie dish are sealed. Cut off any excess with a knife around the edges.
16. Place the pie into the oven onto the top shelf and bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden.

Plate

17. To serve, divide the pie into equal portions, making sure to ladle over that beautiful gravy. Serve with green vegetables.