Beef & ale pie

Pre-heat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2. Wrap 75g of the butter in cling film and put in the freezer. Cut the rest into small cubes and chill.

Put the beef in a bowl and sprinkle over 15g of the flour. Season, then toss to coat the meat.

Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and mushrooms, and cook until soft. Transfer to a casserole dish using a slotted spoon. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and cook the beef in batches until browned. Add to the casserole dish with the chopped parsley.

Add a little of the ale to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring in with the meat juices. Pour over the meat in the casserole dish, then add the rest of the ale and the stock. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes. Put in a pie dish and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, mix the remaining 200g flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl, then rub in the chilled, cubed butter using your fingertips. Add 3-4 tbsp chilled water to make a soft, but not sticky, dough.

Roll the dough out to a rectangle, about 12cm x 17cm, on a floured surface. Mark into 3 even sections. Grate half the frozen butter over two-thirds of the pastry. Fold the unbuttered piece over to cover half the buttered piece, then fold over again to cover the rest.

Roll out to a rectangle again. Grate the rest of the butter over two-thirds of the dough and repeat the folding. Roll and fold twice more, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30mins.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin. Cut out a pastry lid large enough to cover the dish, plus a long, thin strip to go round the edge. Dampen the edges of the dish then drape the strip of pastry over it. Cover with the pastry lid. Crimp the edges.

Cut 2 slits in the middle, to allow steam to escape, and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 35-40 minutes.