Steak, Stilton and Guinness pie

British pub grub at its best. Simple to make and teams up wonderfully with a few boiled carrots, green beans and a dollop of mash. This is definitely an Armstrong favourite!

Recipe
Start by chopping 1kg of beef steak into small chunks and placing them in a large dish. Pour 1 can (250ml) of Guinness beer over the steak making sure the steak is covered. Add 2 cloves of shopped garlic, 2tsp peppercorns and 3 thyme leaves. Cover and leave for 2 hours in the marinade.

Meanwhile turn the oven to 180C and prepare the pastry. For this recipes i like to use both shortcrust and puff pastry, as shortcrust makes a sturdier base, and puff gives a light, crispy top. Roll out the shortcrust pastry (450g, ready made saves loads of time!) and line a baking dish, leaving the pastry to overhang slightly.

Line with baking parchment and baking beans, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Then remove the baking beans and parchment and bake for a further 5 minutes, until golden brown.

Once the steak has finished marinading, strain off and reserve the liquid. Dip the chunks of steak into a little plain flour and in small batches, sear the steak in 2tbsp oil until brown, then set the meat aside. Fry a handful of quartered mushrooms and 1 large sliced onion in the oil and beef juices, adding 1tbsp tomato puree, 1tbsp cranberry jelly and a dash of worcestershire sauce. Pour over 440ml of beef stock and add some of the reserved marinade.

Finally add a dollop of dijon mustard and the beef, and simmer gently for at least an hour.
Once the filling is ready, spread 3tbsp of dijon mustard over the pastry base, then layer slices of stilton cheese over the mustard. Using a slotted spoon, add the meat, mushrooms and onion with a little of the sauce, until the pie is filled. Any remaining liquid can be thickened with a little flour to make the perfect accompanying gravy! Season the pie, then cover with a lid of puff pastry (again ready rolled), and glaze with a beaten egg. Make sure a hole is pierced in the centre to allow hot steam to be released whilst cooking; this also prevents the pie collapsing when it later cools off.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the pie is golden brown and piping hot, then tuck in!