- Preheat the oven to 160°C or 140°C fan assisted (gas 3).
- In a heavy based casserole dish over a medium high heat sear the beef & vegetables until nicely browned, remove & keep to one side.
- Add the tomato paste, mustard, spices, stout & port & reduce by half, then pour over the stock, bring to a boil & thicken with the corn flour mix before placing the beef & vegetables back in the casserole dish.
- Place in the oven covered & braise for 3 hours, turning after 2 hours, basting regularly with the stock or until the beef is tender when pierced with a skewer.
- Remove the beef & vegetables from the stock, place on a deep serving dish & cover with foil.
- Reduce the stock until you reach a rich sauce like consistency, season to taste then, pull the beef using 2 forks then bind in a little reduced sauce with the chopped parsley leaving any excess to serve with the finished pie.
Introduction
Method

Method for pastry
- Sift the flour into a large bowl then add the salt, butter & lard.
- Gently rub the fats into the flour until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the beaten egg & a little water mix together to create a dough, adding too much water or overworking will make the pastry tough.
- Wrap in cling film & chill for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

to assemble
- Preheat the oven to 200°C or 180°C fan assisted (gas 5).
- Brush a pie tin (24cm diameter) with melted butter then dust with flour
- Roll out ⅔ of the pastry to the thickness of a coin & line the base
- fill the pie with the chilled meat, brush the edges with a little egg wash then roll out the remaining pastry, make 3 small cuts in the centre & layer over the top of the pie & seal together using your thumb & index finger to form a crimp
- Bake for 1 hour on until the pastry is golden & crisp
- leave to cool for 30 minutes before reminding from the tin & serving.
To serve
Serve with thick cut Parmesan wedges & tender stem broccoli or stay more traditional with glazed carrots, mashed potatoes & extra mustard at the table.



