There's nothing like a steaming bowl of stew. Once you’ve mastered the technique you can swap the meat and vegetables you use. I love one-pot dinners that slowly cook while you’re busy with other things. The flavour only improves with time, so keep it covered for up to three days in the fridge.

Serves 4

  • 25g (1oz) plain flour
  • 300g (11oz) stewing steak pieces
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 600ml (1 pint) beef or chicken stock (from
  • a cube is fine)
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 500g (1lb 2oz) baby new potatoes, halved
  • 5g (¼oz) fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Put the flour in a bowl and season, then add the beef pieces and toss until evenly coated. Heat a flameproof casserole or heavy-based pan over a medium to high heat. Add the oil, then add the beef and quickly sear it on all sides until golden brown.

2 Add the onion and carrots to the casserole, stirring to coat. Sauté for a couple of minutes, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.

3 Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1–2 minutes, then add the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Add the baby potatoes, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, until meltingly tender but still holding their shape.

4 Strip the leaves from the parsley and roughly chop. Ladle the beef and carrot hot pot into bowls and scatter over the parsley to serve.

WARM APPLE PIE

For the best apple pie, use a variety of apples to achieve the wonderful combination of sweet and tart flavours. The various types will also cook differently, with some melting down completely while others will hold their shape.

Serves 6–8

  • 300g (11oz) plain flour, plus extra for
  • dusting
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 100g (4oz) chilled butter, diced, plus extra
  • for greasing
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2–3 tablespoons ice-cold water
  • 1kg (2¼lb) mixed Irish apples, such as
  • Elstar, Jonagold and Golden Delicious,
  • peeled, cored and sliced
  • 50g (2oz) caster sugar, plus extra for
  • dusting
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • chilled cream, to serve (optional)

1 Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Using a table knife, work in the butter, then mix in the egg yolks with just enough of the ice-cold water to make a dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

2 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/ gas mark 5). Cut the pastry in half and roll one piece out on a floured work surface. Use to line the bottom of a 23cm (9in) buttered pie dish, leaving a 1cm (½in) overhang.

3 Mix the sliced apples in a bowl with the caster sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Put in the lined pie dish. Roll out the rest of the pastry large enough to cover the apples. Beat the egg and use to brush the edges, then lay the pastry on top.

4 Crimp the edges of the pie and roll out the trimmings to decorate. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Make small slits in the top and bake for 50–55 minutes, until golden. Serve warm cut into slices with some cream, if liked.