Ingredients

• 375g/13oz self-raising flour
• pinch salt
• 125g/4½oz grated suet
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 500g/1lb 2oz ox cheek or braising steak
• cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
• 200g/7oz beef kidneys
• cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes
• 1 onion
• diced
• 4 celery stalks
• diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• chopped
• few sprigs fresh thyme
• few fresh bay leaves
• splash mushroom ketchup
• splash Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
• 125ml/4½fl oz ale
• 150ml/5fl oz beef stock

Directions

• For the pastry
• mix the flour
• salt and suet together in a bowl. Add 250ml/9fl oz cold water and stir together until the mixture comes together as a dough. Knead briefly
• then wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Butter a 1.5-litre/2½-pint pudding basin. Remove a generous quarter of the dough to make a lid for the pudding and set aside in the fridge. Roll out the remaining pastry on a floured work surface to 1cm/½in thickness
• Drape the pastry into the pudding basin
• pushing it down against the base and sides of the basin
• and making sure it comes about 1cm/½in over the top. Chill the pudding basin in the fridge.
• Heat half of the oil in a large saucepan and fry the ox cheek
• in batches
• until golden-brown all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with a little water
• scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan
• then pour it over the ox cheek pieces.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the kidneys until golden-brown all over
• then remove from the pan and add to the ox cheek pieces.
• Add the onion and celery to the pan and fry over a low heat for 20 minutes
• or until softened. Add the chopped garlic
• thyme
• bay leaves
• mushroom ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and stir together until well combined
• then stir in the flour. Add the beer to the pan
• bring to the boil
• then continue to cook until the volume has reduced by half. Add the beef stock
• ox cheek and kidneys and stir until well combined.
• Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool
• then chill in the fridge.
• Spoon the cold steak and kidney mixture into the pastry-lined pudding basin. Roll the remaining pastry into a circle just large enough to sit on top of the pudding dish
• brush the rim of the pastry in the basin with water and place the lid on top. Trim the edges neatly then press together firmly to seal.
• Cover the dish with a large circle of baking parchment
• with a pleat in the middle to allow for expansion
• then cover the parchment with a circle of pleated aluminium foil. Press down tightly around the edges and secure with string.
• Place the pudding onto an upturned saucer or small trivet in a large
• deep saucepan and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and place on the stove over a low-medium heat
• so that the water is simmering gently. Steam the pudding for 4 hours
• topping up the water every now and then.
• When the pudding is cooked
• turn off the heat
• carefully lift the basin from the water and leave the pudding to stand for five minutes.
• Remove the foil and paper and run a blunt-ended knife around the inside of the pudding basin to loosen the sides
• then invert it onto a deep serving plate.