Cumberland Pie

Ingredients

• 2 Celery
• 1 chopped Onion
• 2 large Carrots
• 5 Bay Leaves
• 3 Thyme
• 2 tblsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 2 tablespoons Flour
• 2 tblsp Tomato Puree
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Beef Stock Cubes
• 800g Feather blade beef
• 800g Potatoes
• 25g Mature Cheddar
• 25g Parmesan Cheese

Quantities are the original recipe’s. The cost is our own estimate — typical own-brand supermarket prices for these quantities, divided by 4 servings. TheMealDB does not state how many a dish serves, so 4 is our assumption, not theirs. Treat it as “about this much a head”, not a shopping bill.

Method

1. Set the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
2. In a casserole, warm 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil with the butter, then add the celery, onion, carrots, bay leaves and 1 sprig of thyme. Cook gently for 10 mins to soften.
3. Mix in the flour, then add the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce and crumbled stock cubes, stirring to combine.
4. Slowly pour in 600ml hot water, stirring as you go, then add the beef and bring everything to a gentle simmer.
5. Cover the casserole and transfer to the oven for 2 hrs 30 mins, then remove the lid and cook for a further 30 mins-1 hr, until the beef is very tender and the sauce has thickened.
6. While the beef cooks, boil the potatoes until they are about three-quarters cooked, not fully tender.
7. Spoon the cooked beef into a baking dish. Cut the potatoes into 1cm rounds and toss them with salt, pepper, the rest of the oil and the remaining thyme leaves.
8. Arrange the potato slices over the beef in layers, scattering both cheeses between the layers as you go. At this stage the pie can be covered and chilled for 1 day, or frozen for up to 3 months.
9. Turn the oven up to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and bake the pie for 30-40 mins until the top is golden and crisp and the sauce is bubbling up at the edges (allow longer if baking from cold).
10. Serve with peas.

These steps were written by StreetOwl from the original recipe, in British English, with every oven temperature and cooking time checked against the source. They are not the original author’s words. If anything reads oddly, the original is linked below and it wins.