Beef and ale pie

Place the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and ground black pepper, then add the cubes of meat and toss well until evenly coated.

Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy-based casserole dish until the butter has melted and is foaming. Add the meat to the pan in small batches and brown all over for a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside; repeat with the remaining meat.

Add the onions and carrots to the pan and fry gently for about 2 mins, then add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes more.

Return the meat to the pan along with any excess flour left in the bowl, the Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée, fresh thyme, ale, stock and season with salt and ground black pepper. Stir well and bring to the boil. Cover and reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 2 hrs, stirring occasionally, on the hob until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and place into a 1.5 litre deep rectangular pie dish and leave to cool completely.

Once the filling is cool, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°fan/gas 6. Unroll the puff pastry and cut a 2cm strip from the long edges. Wet the rim of the pie dish with a little water and place the pastry strips around the rim pressing it down. This creates an extra layer of pastry around the edge to keep the pastry in place and prevent it from falling into the dish.

Use a knife to cut diagonal slices in the surface pastry but only very lightly and not all the way through. You just want to create a design on the pastry. Then lay the pastry sheet on top of the dish covering the filling and rim of the dish. Trim away any excess pastry and then brush the top with the beaten egg. Bake in the hot oven for 30–35 mins until the pastry is puffed up, crisp and golden. Garnish with extra thyme, if you like.