Cottage pie bake

Serves 6 Prep 40 mins Cook 2 hrs 50 mins 52p a portion 884 kcals, 53g fat, 21g sat. fat, 7g sugar

assembled or baked

1kg beef shin or feather blade, cut

into very large chunks 2- 4 tbsp sunflower oil 200g bacon lardons 200g shallots, peeled 2 celery sticks, chopped 3 tbsp plain flour 2 beef stock cubes 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 3 each thyme sprigs and bay leaves 300g baby carrots or baby

Chantenay carrots

FOR THE MASH 1.5kg potatoes, peeled and cut

into large chunks 25g butter 85g mature cheddar, grated 100ml milk 2 tsp English mustard powder

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. Q

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 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.