Ingredients

• 225g/8oz plain flour
• plus extra for rolling out
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 250g/9oz unsalted butter
• cold but not rock hard (or you can use half butter
• half lard)
• 150ml/¼ pint ice-cold water
• 1 free-range egg
• beaten
• to glaze
• 1 kg/2lb 4oz braising steak
• cut into matchbox-sized pieces
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 300ml/½ pint brown ale
• 2 garlic cloves
• roughly chopped
• 2 onions
• roughly chopped
• 250g/9oz carrots
• roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery
• roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• handful fresh thyme sprigs
• 300ml/½ pint good-quality beef stock
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 500g/1lb 2oz chestnut or white mushrooms
• halved or cut into quarters if large
• knob of butter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• For the pastry
• sift the flour and the salt into a large mixing bowl
• then put into the fridge for a few minutes to chill. (Keeping the flour and bowl cold will help you to get a better result later and create nice separate layers or pastry.)
• Meanwhile
• cut the butter into small cubes. Using a round-bladed knife
• stir it into the bowl until each piece is well coated with flour. Pour in the water
• then
• working quickly
• use the knife to bring everything together to a rough dough.
• Gather the dough in the bowl using one hand
• then turn it onto a work surface. Squash the dough into a fat
• flat sausage
• without kneading. Wrap in cling film then chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Lightly flour the work surface and the pastry. Roll out the pastry in one direction until it’s about 1cm thick and three times as long as it is wide
• or about 45x15cm/18x6in. Straighten up the sides using your hands now and again
• and try to keep the top and bottom edges as square as possible.
• Fold the bottom third of the pastry up
• then the top third down
• to make a block about 15x15cm/6x6in. It doesn’t matter if the pastry isn’t exactly the right size
• the important thing is that the corners are square.
• Turn the dough so that its open edge is facing to the right
• like a book. Press the edges of the pastry together using the rolling pin.
• Roll out and fold the pastry again
• repeating this four times in all to make a smooth dough
• with buttery streaks here and there. If the pastry feels greasy at any point
• or starts to spring back when as you roll
• then cover and chill it for 10 minutes before continuing. Chill the finished pastry for an hour
• or ideally overnight
• before using.
• For the filling
• mix the beef with the flour and some salt and pepper. An easy way to do this without making too much mess is to put everything into a large food bag
• seal
• then shake well.
• Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large heatproof casserole up to a medium heat
• then add half the beef
• shaking off the excess flour and keeping the chunks well spaced so they fry rather than sweat. Brown for about 10 minutes
• until golden-brown all over.
• Transfer the first batch of meat to a bowl
• then add a splash of brown ale or water to the pan and scrape up any meaty bits. Tip the liquid into the bowl of meat. Wipe out the pan
• then add a tablespoon of oil and brown the second batch of beef. When the beef is golden-brown transfer it to the bowl and set aside.
• Add the final spoon of oil to the pan and heat gently. Add the garlic
• onions
• carrots
• celery and herbs to the pan and fry for a few minutes
• until softened.
• Put the beef back into the pan. Pour in the stock and brown ale
• then add the tomato purée and balsamic vinegar. If necessary
• add a little more stock or hot water to ensure the meat is covered in liquid (this will prevent the beef from drying out). Bring to the boil
• then cover and simmer the stew for 1–1½ hours until the beef is almost tender and the sauce has thickened. Set aside to cool
• overnight if possible.
• Melt the butter in a large frying pan
• then add the mushrooms. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• then fry over a high heat for 5 minutes
• or until golden-brown. Mix with the cooled pie filling and add to the pie dish.
• To make the pie
• preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Flour the work surface
• then roll out the pastry to the thickness of two £1 coins and wide enough to cover a family-size pie dish with some excess. Brush the edge of the pie dish with a little water or beaten egg.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry to fit the top of the dish – if it’s too big it doesn’t matter. Lift on top of the pie
• laying the pastry over a rolling pin to lift it. Press down gently to seal.
• Holding the knife blade horizontally
• make a patterned edge by pressing down gently all around the edge of the pastry (this will help the layers in the pastry to puff up).
• Cut a couple of slits in the top of the pie to release steam. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg – taking care to avoid getting egg on the edges of the pastry as it will stick the layers together. Chill for 10 minutes
• or until the pastry is firm. Bake for 30 minutes
• or until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden-brown and puffed all over.