Beef & oyster pie

Once upon a time, oysters were cheap, not the posh food they are today. They were used to eke out the filling in meat pies like this one – the original surf and turf! Ideally you will need a 25cm pie dish that is about 5cm deep.

4 tsp sea salt 250g butter, frozen for at least 2 hrs 1 egg, beaten, to glaze

1 Season the beef. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan and fry the meat over a high heat. Do this in several batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan, transferring each batch to a large fameproof casserole dish as it is browned. Add extra oil to the pan needed. 2 Add another 1 tbsp of oil to the pan and cook the shallots for 4–5 mins, then add the bacon and fry until it’s slightly browned. Add the garlic and fry for another 30 secs, then tip everything into the casserole dish and add the herbs. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. 3 Pour the stout into the frying pan and bring it to the boil, stirring to lift any sticky bits from the pan. Tip the stout over the beef and add the stock. Put a lid on the casserole and cook in the oven for 2 hrs, or until the beef is tender and the sauce has reduced. 4 Remove the casserole from the oven and skim off any surface fat. Season to taste, then, in a small bowl, stir the cornfour with 2 tbsp water to make a paste and add it to the casserole. Put the casserole on the hob and simmer for 1–2 mins, stirring, to thicken. Leave to cool. 5 Turn up the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. While the flling is cooling, make the pastry. Put the four and salt in a large bowl. Grate the butter and stir it into the four in 3 batches. Gradually add about 200ml cold water and stir it in with a round-bladed knife until the mixture comes together. Knead the pastry briefy into a ball. 6 Roll out the pastry on a foured surface, making sure it is larger than your pie dish, and cut off a 1cm strip. (You will have slightly more pastry than you need, but you can freeze any leftovers). Pile the beef into the pie dish and tuck in the oysters. Wet the rim of the pie dish and line it all the way round with the strip of pastry. Brush with beaten egg. Re-roll the pastry lid if necessary to ft the top of the pie, then carefully lift onto the flling. 7 Press the edges together and trim them, crimping decoratively if you like. Brush the lid with beaten egg, then bake for 25–30 mins or until the pie is piping hot and golden brown on top.