Mushroom and lentil shepherd’s pie with root veg

SERVES SIX

Place the dried porcini in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a deep casserole on the hob over a high heat. Add the minced fresh mushrooms and fry for five minutes or until any water has evaporated and they’ve browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Add some more oil and then fry the onions, carrots, celery and leeks and cook slowly for 10 minutes or until they have softened and started to go golden. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato purée and ramp up the heat. Caramelise the vegetables in the purée for one to two minutes.

Add the wine and cook for five minutes before adding the fried mushrooms with the bay, rosemary and cloves.

Remove the porcini mushrooms from the water and finely chop. Add these, along with the water you rehydrated them in (pour through a sieve or discard any sediment), the lentils, stock and Marmite. Cook over a low heat for one hour or until the sauce has reduced and the lentils are cooked. Season, place in a pie dish and allow to cool.

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. To make the mash, pop the root veg into a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 20 minutes or until completely cooked through. Drain, and then allow to steam in the colander for five minutes. Mash with the butter, milk, nutmeg and seasoning.

Pick out any stray herbs from the lentil mixture then top with the root veg mash. Top with the cheeses and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and piping hot.

GOUSTO FROM £3.56 PER SERVING, GOUSTO. CO.UK

Recipes come with lots of hacks to turn hearty ingredients into quick dinners (a quick lamb tagine impressed).

7/10 HELLOFRESH FROM £5 PER MEAL, HELLOFRESH.CO.UK

Recipes a novice can nail, with very clear instructions. Flavour-packed, generous portions, but cooking times were hit and miss. The turkey forestiere was a hit.

8/10