* Olive oil - I prefer Garlic olive oil for this - but that' me 'n' me Garlic!
* 30 g Butter
* 3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and crushed
* 3 medium Onions, peeled and chopped
* 2 small Carrots, peeled and sliced
* 2 Celery sticks, 'strings' removed with a Peeler and cut into moons
* 1 Portobello mushroom, cut into thin strips
* 1kg Stewing Beef, cut into 2 cm cubes
* 1 tablespoon freshly picked Rosemary leaves, chopped finely
* 2 tablespoons Parsley, stems removed and finely chopped
* Sea salt and Freshly ground black pepper
* Big pinch of mustard powder (to taste)
* 1 x 440 ml can of Guinness
* Splash of brandy
* 3 heaped tablespoons Wholemeal flour
* 200 g Cheddar cheese, Grated
* 500g block of Puff pastry or 1 x 375g pack of ready rolled puff pastry
* 1 Free range egg, beaten for glazing

===Method===
'''The filling'''
* The filling can be made in advance. Why not make double the amount and freeze half for another pie at a later date?
* Add the Flour to a bowl and season with Salt and '''lots''' of Black pepper and mustard powder.
* Roll the Meat in the Flour to coat well
* You can do the Frying stage in an oven proof pan, a Le Creuset type dish or a Wok.
* Add a glug of Olive oil to the Wok and sauté the Onions and Garlic over a low heat until translucent, about 7 minutes, remove and reserve
* Turn up the heat and add a little more Olive oil if necessary, Brown the Beef cubes for 3 or 4 minutes then add the Onions back and tip in the Butter, Carrots, Celery, parsley, Rosemary and mushrooms and Fry off for a few more minutes
* Deglaze the pan with a splash of brandy if you have some laying around.
* Tip everything into an oven proof dish if you are using your Wok and pour in the Guinness and enough water so the contents are just covered, stir, cover and cook in the oven for about 2.5 hours. Give it a stir halfway through.
* If after this cooking it's still very runny, reduce it further by heating on the hob.
* Mix in half of the Cheese, taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
'''Baking the pie'''
* Grease a Pie dish with Olive oil and tip in the filling
* Sprinkle over the with the remaining Cheddar cheese
* With a sharp knife, have some fun scoring a pattern in the top, and then Brush with the beaten Egg
* Lay the crust over the dish, allowing plenty of it to hang over the side as it will shrink. Notice the difference in the photos
* If the filling is hot then the pie will only need baking to rise the crust, whereas if it is cold, it will need longer to heat the filling
* I would bake for 20 to 30 minutes to rise the crust alone, but check it's progress regularly
* If you need to heat the contents as well bake for 30 to 40 minutes, but I would cover the pastry with tin-foil once it is golden-brown or it will burn.

______________________________