A really simple and hearty pie - serve it with a green salad and you’ve got a delicious mid-week dinner!

INGREDIENTS

• 15g butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste 
• 2 bay leaves
• 400 g minced beef 
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups of beef stock 
• a glug of dry white wine
• cracked black pepper 
• 200g puff pastry
• 1 egg, whisked

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 190°C.
• Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat.
• Melt the butter and sauté the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and rosemary.
• Fry until the onions are golden and soft, then add the tomato paste and bay leaves.
• Add a glug of white wine to deglaze the pan.
• Stir through the mince and fry for another 10 minutes.
• Finally, add the beef stock, black pepper, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce.
• Simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce the sauce by a third. Take it off the heat and leave to cool down for five minutes.
• The trick to a good pie filling is to make sure that it’s juicy, but not drowning in sauce.
• Scoop the mince into a pie dish then set aside.
• Roll out the pastry and then place it over the pie dish.
• Trim off the edges of the pastry and make sure the pie is sealed all the way around.
• Brush whisked egg over the pastry and cut a slit into the centre of the pie – this is where the steam will escape from while it’s baking.
• If you want to you can use the pastry trimmings to make decorative shapes for the top of the pie – and if you do, make sure you brush these with egg wash as well.
• Pop the pie into the preheated oven and bake for about 30 – 40 minutes, or until the pastry is crispy and golden brown on top.
• Serve with a fresh green salad.

OK FOOD TIP: If you want to, you can turn this pie into a cottage pie. Simply replace the puff pastry with mashed potatoes instead!