INGREDIENTS IN STEW RECIPES

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas 3.
2. Dice the beef into 1cm pieces, then toss in a bowl with the flour, making sure the meat chunks are totally covered. Set aside.
3. Add a splash of oil to a large casserole pan and place it over a medium heat. When it’s hot, add the beef and cook for 5 minutes, or until the meat is browned all over. Transfer to a plate and leave to one side.
4. While the beef cooks, peel and finely chop the garlic, then peel the shallots and halve most of them, keeping a few whole. Trim and roughly chop the celery, then peel, trim and chop the carrots into 2cm rounds.
5. Splash a little more oil into the pan, then add the veg. Strip the leaves from the thyme and add to the pan, then cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
6. Return the beef to the pan, then stir through the tomatoes and wine. Once the liquid has been absorbed, add the stock, bay leaves and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
7. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then transfer the stew to the oven to cook for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily with forks.
8. Serve your beef stew with creamy mashed potato and, if you like, a glass of your favourite red wine.

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºC/gas 5.
2. Trim, wash and slice the leeks 1cm thick, scrub and cut the carrots into rough chunks and finely slice the celery. Peel and finely slice the garlic, pick the thyme leaves, discarding the stalks, and finely slice the bacon.
3. Heat a lug of oil in a large casserole pan on a medium heat, then add the bacon. Scatter in the thyme leaves and fry for a few minutes, or until the bacon is golden.
4. Next, add the leeks, carrots, celery and garlic and cook for around 10 minutes, or until the leeks start to soften, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the celeriac and parsnips, then roughly chop the potatoes.
5. Add the chicken, celeriac, parsnips and potatoes to the pan. Stir in the Marmite, add a good grinding of black pepper and stir to coat.
6. Pour in the hot stock, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low. Crumple up and wet a piece of greaseproof paper, then open it out and place on top of the stew. Cover with a lid and pop in the oven for 1 hour, or until the chicken is super-tender.
7. When the time’s up, gently break the chicken up into the stew, then serve up in bowls. I like to serve this with broccoli on the side. Sometimes I top it with puff pastry or I stir it through pasta for a really tasty sauce.

Preheat the oven to 150°C, fan 140°C, gas 2. Heat half the olive oil in a medium non-stick saucepan. Dust the pork with the flour. Add half the pork to the pan and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the pork and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, along with the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the onion has softened slightly. Return the meat to the pan with the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme leaves. Make up 500ml stock using the stock cube and pour 300ml into the pan (save the rest for another recipe). Bring to the boil, then carefully pour the contents of the pan into an ovenproof casserole. Cover with a lid then transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours.

Just before serving, remove the casserole from the oven, sprinkle with the grated parmesan and bake until the cheese has melted.

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas 3.
2. Dice the beef into 1cm pieces, then toss in a bowl with the flour, making sure the meat chunks are totally covered. Set aside.
3. Add a splash of oil to a large casserole pan and place it over a medium heat. When it’s hot, add the beef and cook for 5 minutes, or until the meat is browned all over. Transfer to a plate and leave to one side.
4. While the beef cooks, peel and finely chop the garlic, then peel the shallots and halve most of them, keeping a few whole. Trim and roughly chop the celery, then peel, trim and chop the carrots into 2cm rounds.
5. Splash a little more oil into the pan, then add the veg. Strip the leaves from the thyme and add to the pan, then cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.
6. Return the beef to the pan, then stir through the tomatoes and wine. Once the liquid has been absorbed, add the stock, bay leaves and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
7. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then transfer the stew to the oven to cook for 3 to 4 hours, or until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily with forks.
8. Serve your beef stew with creamy mashed potato and, if you like, a glass of your favourite red wine.

1. If using the oven to cook the stew, preheat it to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
2. Put a large shallow ovenproof casserole pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil.
3. Trim the celery, wash the carrots, peel the onions, then roughly chop it all about the same size as your beef chunks, adding the veg to the pan as you go.
4. Season the veg with sea salt and black pepper, and fry for 10 minutes, or until softened and starting to caramelise, stirring occasionally.
5. Strip in the rosemary leaves, stir in the flour for 2 minutes, then pour in the booze and let it cook away.
6. Pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of the spoon. Fill the tin with water, swirl around, and pour into the pan.
7. Bring just to the boil, then stir in the meat, season, and cover. Either simmer slowly on the hob or place in the oven for 2 hours, or until the meat falls apart easily.
8. Taste the stew and tweak the seasoning, if needed, then serve with rice or mashed potato, and some lovely veggies, or check out the topping ideas below.