Beef & guinness cobbler

Put the flour in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Place the meat in the same bowl and toss well coating entirely.

Heat the oil in a pan over a high heat and add the meat in two batches. Brown the meat well on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Pour half of the Guinness into the pan and bring to the boil, stirring well to absorb the meat juices – this is called deglazing. Simmer for a minute and then return the meat to the pan. Next add the carrots, onions, tomato puree, water, Bovril, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and remaining Guiness. Bring to a slow simmer and cover. Simmer for about 2 to 3 hours until meat is really tender – it should fall apart.

To make the cobbler topping:

Preheat oven to 180°C/375°/Gas 5.

Place the flour into a large mixing bowl, rub the butter in, using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Next add in the mixed herbs and stir well.

Add the milk and mix to a soft dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and lightly knead to shape into a round. Using a rolling pin, roll out to about 3cm in thickness. Use a 5cm cookie cutter and cut into 6 rounds.

Transfer the cooked stew to an oven proof dish.

Place the round cobblers on top of meat in the casserole. Bake in the oven for about 15 -20 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Serve immediately with some green vegetables.

Our recipe tester says the cobbler needs to be stirred frequently while cooking to prevent it from sticking and burning. If you can't stay in the kitchen to stir it regularly for the 3 hours, she suggests you place the cobbler in the oven on a low heat rather than cooking on the stove.