Roast sirloin of beef

ALTHOUGH I love a roast rib on the bone, this cut of beef is certainly the most popular joint available. I can understand why, as sirloin has a great flavour with a decent marbling of fat. It’s also extremely easy to carve – I normally use a carving fork to help me hold it steady. SERVES 4–6 1kg (2¼lb) sirloin of beef 2 onions, cut into thick slices 2 carrots, thickly sliced on the diagonal 2 celery sticks, thickly sliced on the diagonal 1 bulb of garlic, halved 1 small bunch of fresh thyme and/or sage Rapeseed or olive oil, for cooking About 300ml (½ pint) red or white wine or water

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper TO SERVE Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish Creamed horseradish or mild mustard Crispy roast potatoes Vegetables of your choice REMOVE the joint from the fridge 1 hour before you plan to cook it and discard any packaging.

Preheat the oven to 220c (425f/Gas Mark 7).

Tip the vegetables, garlic and herbs into a roasting tin and season with salt and pepper, then drizzle over a little oil. Rub some more oil over the beef and season all over, then sit that in the middle of the vegetables. Add a splash of wine or water to the tin to prevent the vegetables from drying out.

Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180c (350f/Gas Mark 4) and add another splash of wine or water if you think the vegetables need it. Roast for another 1 hour for rare and 1½ hours for medium rare.

Transfer the beef to a warm plate and leave to rest for at least 20 minutes, covered with tin foil and a clean tea towel.

Garnish with the parsley. Carve the beef sirloin into slices and arrange on warmed plates with crispy roast potatoes and vegetables of your choice.

Serve with creamed horseradish or mild mustard on the side.