Cooking Notes: about 4hrs 25min
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- 50 g plain flour
- 1.2kg chuck, stewing or casserole beef steak, trimmed and cut into 5cm (2in) chunks
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 300 ml beef stock
- 500 ml ale
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 200 g button mushrooms, halved if large
- None
- 2 large carrots, cut into 5cm chunks
For the dumplings
- 100 g plain flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 50 g butter
- 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 50 g extra mature Cheddar cheese, grated
- Step 1
Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and season. Toss a third of the beef in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat 1tbsp oil in a large casserole over medium heat. Fry meat until browned all over. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining meat using 1tbsp oil each time. Add 75ml water to pan,
scraping up brown bits.
- Step 2
Reduce the heat. Add remaining oil and onions to pan. Cover and cook for 15min until soft, adding a splash of stock if dry.
- Step 3
Return beef to pan with stock, ale and herbs. Bring to boil. Turn down heat, partially cover and simmer for 2-3hr until tender.
- Step 4
Add the mushrooms and carrots; simmer for 30min.
- Step 5
Meanwhile, make dumplings. Heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Mix all ingredients, apart from cheese, in a bowl with plenty of seasoning, or
pulse in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add cheese and mix in to form larger flakes, then sprinkle over 1–2tbsp water to bring the dough together. Roll into 6 balls and dot around stew leaving a 2cm gap between them. Put into oven uncovered and cook for 20min until dumplings are puffed and golden. Sprinkle over extra parsley, if you like, and serve.
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Browning the meat is the secret to a rich stew. Don't overcrowd the pan or it will boil rather than brown.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 613
- Fibre: 4 g
- Total carbs: 27 g
- Sugars: 7 g
- Total fat: 31 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Protein: 52 g
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
