British Shepherd's Pie

OK before anyone snaps this is technically a cottage pie - you can sub the beef for lamb to make it 'shepherds' but my mum always called both ways shepherds pie and it's rubbed off on me :)

Here's a cookalong video but if you prefer I've written the recipe out below!

1. Saute your vegetables with garlic and a drop of oil until softened. Carrot and onion are mandatory IMO but I add any earthy veg that needs used up... leek, swede, turnip, celery - whatever you have!

2. Peel a LOT of potatoes for your mash and get them boiling. Whatever dish you have chosen to use needs to be half full of mashed potatoes and it's always more than you think!

3. Once your veg is softened add your ground beef (or lamb) and brown it. Drain off as much fat as you can!

4. Add enough rich beef stock to almost cover the mixture, as well as a tsp of dried mixed herbs, a tbsp of worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste and a bay leaf. Mix it all together and leave it to simmer for as long as you can - at least an hour! You're aiming for a thick shiny gravy but if you're short on time or it doesn't get there you can use instant beef gravy granules/powder to thicken it quickly. Add some frozen peas at the last minute.

5. Spread your meat and veg mixture in the bottom of your dish - it should come up about halfway. Then mash your potatoes and add that on top. I like equal thickness so 50/50!

6. Grate a good helping of cheddar cheese all over the top and then bake in the oven at 350F for around 30-35 minutes, until it has a crispy golden brown topping!

My husband likes to serve it with extra gravy poured over the top but I'm not sure that's normal! I typically will make a large batch of mixture and create a lot of small pies that I'll freeze after assembly. On a busy weeknight I just take one out the freezer, grate cheese on top and throw it in the oven (for roughly an hour).

Let me know if you try this out! (sorry for the terrible photos)

See ya soon x