400g/14oz small chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 onions, sliced
3–4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
plain flour, for dusting
2 bay leaves
500ml/18fl oz good beef stock
2 tbsp cornflour
4–5 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp tomato purée
beaten egg, to glaze
500g/1lb 2oz ready-made puff pastry
200g/7oz smoked streaky bacon rashers, cut into 1cm/½in strips, or lardons
850g/1lb 14oz well-marbled braising steak, trimmed and cut into roughly 2.5cm/1in cubes
500ml/18fl oz bottle real ale