Beef and mushroom spider pie

SERVES 8

Time to get creepily creative with the pastry.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

475g pack Butcher’s Selection Diced Beef

2tbsp plain flour

1tbsp Extra Special Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil

200g Grower’s Selection Baby Chestnut Mushrooms

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 reduced-salt beef stock cube

375g Asda Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry

1 egg, beaten

2tsp poppy seeds

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150C/ 130C Fan/ Gas 2. Toss the beef in the flour to coat evenly.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat and fry the beef until evenly browned. Set aside.

Add the mushrooms, carrots, celery and shallots and brown all over (work in batches if you need to). Add the beef and the garlic and fry for two minutes.

Dissolve the stock cube in 500ml boiling water and gradually stir into the pan. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake, covered, for three hours until the meat is tender. Allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, cut two circles of pastry, 20cm and 15cm. Cut two eyes, the size of a 2p coin, from the 15cm circle, roll into two thin pieces and use the egg to stick them to the head. Cut the rest of pastry into eight strips and crimp with a fork.

Increase the oven temperature to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Put the filling in a round pie dish, with a mound in the middle.

Arrange four pastry strips on top, for spider legs, lay the larger circle on top and add the head. Brush with the egg and sprinkle over the poppy seeds.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

For more recipe ideas go to: www. asdagoodliving.co.uk