Beef & Guinness Pie With Champ Mash Topping

Make the pie filling

• Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan. Slice the onion and carrots. Crush the garlic.
• Cut the beef into 2 - 3cm cubes, then toss it in the flour and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a dash of oil in a casserole dish or heavy based pan (with a lid) on a medium heat, then, working in batches, cook the beef until it browns all over, around 10 minutes. Transfer from the pan.
• Heat another dash of oil in the same pan and cook the onion and carrots on medium heat for a few minutes, until starting to soften. Add a splash of water to the pan and stir well to get all the bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Pop the beef back in the pan. Pour in the Guinness with the demerara sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée and thyme. Make up the beef stock cube with 300ml boiling water and pour this in too.
• Stir to mix everything together then bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Pop the lid on top and cook in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes, until the beef is tender. Then pour the cooked pie filling into a pie dish (we used a 25cm pie dish).

Make the champ mash

• Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes. Cook them in plenty of boiling salted water until tender.
• While the potatoes are cooking, thinly slice the spring onions. Add the spring onions to a pan with the milk and heat to boiling then take the pan off the heat (you could also do this in the microwave).
• Drain the potatoes then tip them back into the pan you cooked them in. With a potato masher or fork, mash them then stir in the milk and spring onions, butter and crispy onions. Season to taste.

Assemble & bake the pie

• Spoon the champ mash onto the pie filling and ruffle the mash with a fork. Scatter the grated cheddar on top.
• Bake in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Plate Up

• Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving then plate up and enjoy!