Meat and Potato Pie

Method

1 Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole pan then add the meat and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes then turn and cook the other side until it is browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and put to one side.

2 Add a little more oil if needed then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until it begins to soften and turn transparent then throw in the mushrooms and cook a further 5 minutes until they begin to turn golden. Return the meat, add the Worcestershire sauce and stir. Add the wine if using and raise the heat, scraping the bottom of the pan for all the tasty bits and stir and cook for 2 minutes.  If not using wine, add a small amount of stock to the pan to deglaze it.

3 Add the potatoes and the stock, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, put a lid on and cook on a low heat for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the meat is tender. If it dries out at all top up with a little hot water. Spoon the mixture into a pie dish with plenty of gravy to cover then top with short crust pastry (see step by step pastry) and bake in a preheated oven at gas mark 6/200C (190C in a fan oven) for about 30-40 minutes or until the pastry crust is golden brown and even.