Hearty beef pie

• Fry 500g minced beef with a chopped onion and add a splash of red wine. When cooked through, stir in one teaspoon of mustard powder and one teaspoon of plain flour.

• After two more minutes add 200ml beef or vegetable stock with a splash of soy sauce and a dash of Tabasco. Cook through with a lid on so the gravy doesn’t dry out.

• Dice four peeled carrots and cook, before adding to the mince and putting this mix into a pie dish.

• Make a scone mix with 250g plain flour, a pinch of baking powder and one teaspoon of salt.

• Make a dough by adding a blended liquid of 100ml milk, 50g melted butter or margarine and one beaten egg to the dry ingredients. For extra bite, add a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard or a large handful of grated parmesan.

• Flatten out the dough until it’s just larger than the dish (it will shrink a little when cooked, and thicken up, so press it out to about one cm depth.

• Place the dough over the top of the pie dish and bake for about 25 minutes at gas mark 5 (190°C or 375°F) or until cooked through.