Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 500g/1lb 2oz beef mince
• 1 onion
• chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée 1½ tbsp plain flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 75g/2½oz mushrooms
• chopped
• 250ml/9fl oz stout or beef stock
• dash Worcestershire sauce
• 400g/14oz ready-made shortcrust pastry
• 1 free-range egg
• yolk only
• lightly beaten

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the beef mince for 4-5 minutes
• breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.
• Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes
• then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute
• then add the chopped mushrooms
• the stout or beef stock and a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil
• then reduce the heat
• cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and leave to cool
• then turn the meat mixture into a one litre pie dish.
• Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface until it is slightly larger than the pie dish. Gently drape the pastry over the dish
• pressing firmly onto the edges. Trim
• then shape the edges into a fluted shape.
• Cut some leaf shapes out of the pastry trimmings and decorate the top of the pie
• sticking them to the pastry with the beaten egg yolk.
• Make three or four slits in the pastry to allow the steam to escape
• then brush the pie with the rest of the beaten egg yolk and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes
• or until golden-brown.
• To serve
• slice into wedges.