HEARTY BEEF PIE

The beauty of this pie is all in the disguise – not only do you bulk out the mince with porridge oats (it sounds odd but really works), but using homemade pastry will really bring the price down (see method overleaf). Freeze a third of the mince mixture for future use.

Serves: 4 Prep: 30 mins Cook: 20 mins

1 tbsp cooking oil

400g beef mince

2 onions, diced

4 large carrots, grated

100g porridge oats

600ml beef stock

4 tbsp brown sauce

225g shortcrust pastry

1. Add the oil to a large saucepan and put on a medium heat.

2. Brown the mince and onion before adding in the carrots and porridge oats. Stir through, then add in beef stock and brown sauce and bring to the boil.

3. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins stirring every 5 mins. If it starts to stick you can add a little water, but you want the mix to be thick and not too watery or your pie will have a soggy bottom! Leave to cool before continuing onto the next step and assembling the pie.

4. Heat the oven to 200°C/400°C/Gas Mark 6 and lightly grease a 23cm pie dish.

5. Split the pastry in half and roll out one half until it is big enough to line the pie dish. Once the dish is lined, add the mince mix and spread out.

6. Roll out the rest of the pastry and top the pie, pinching the edges with a fork to form a seal. Using a knife, make 2 incisions about 2.5cm wide at the top of the pie around the centre to let the steam out.

7. Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown, then serve with buttery boiled potatoes and mixed veg. Per serving: 717 cals, 39g fat (15g sat fat), 16g sugar, 2g salt