Famous at the Mall Tavern since 2010 this meal has been best seller, come rain or shine. This is a man of a meal, and keeps both the foodies, and local drinkers happy here at the pub. We get to use all the surplus ale from the pub, and it also goes very well with a nice warm pint of bitter drunk from one of those heavy dimpled glasses.

The recipe comes in several parts, and is fairly complicated, but if you bear with it, the results are worth-while. This does freeze very well, and all the parts can be separately frozen too, so you can spread the load of all this preparation.

Serves: 5 Hungry Cowboys.

Ingredients:

1kgDiced stewing beef

100gPeeled baby onions

100gSliced onions

100gSliced mushrooms

1Pint of ale

500gChicken stock this ratio can be altered

10gChopped thyme

50gButter

75gFlour

Dijon mustard

Method:

Stew the onions (baby & sliced) and sliced mushrooms together with the chopped thyme in the butter, seasoning well, until soft. Add the flour, then add the beer and chicken stock, bring this mixture to the boil re-season with salt, pepper and bit ‘O Dijon. Add the beef, and cook out like a good old fashioned casserole. 3 hours at 150’, or on a low setting.

When the beef is tender (we call it fork-friendly), leave to cool down. When cool, you can top the pie with puff pastry, brush with egg yolk, and if you can find one, stuff a bone in the middle for authenticity, just like we do at the Mall Tavern.