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Ingredients

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225g streaky bacon, rinded & cut into 2.5cm pieces

12 shallots, skinned

900g stewing steak, cut into 5cm cubes

5 tbsp plain flour

1 large carrot, peeled & chopped

1 large onion, skinned & chopped

60ml brandy

2 cloves garlic, skinned & crushed

10ml salt

2.5ml dried thyme

1.25ml pepper

Bay leaf

700ml Beaujolais Nouveau

50g butter or margarine

450g mushrooms, sliced

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Method

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Fry the bacon in its own fat in a flameproof casserole until it’s lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon & set aside onto kitchen paper to drain. Drain some of the fat from the casserole until you are left with about 3 tbsp.

Add the shallots & the cook until they are lightly browned, stirring them occasionally. Remove the shallots & reserve them.

Sprinkle the pieces of meat with 3 tablespoons of the flour. Add them to the casserole, a few pieces at a time & fry until they are well browned on all sides, remove the pieces as they brown & set aside on a plate.

Add the carrot & onion to the pan & cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until tender. Return the beef to the casserole; pour over the brandy & ignite it with a long taper. Leave until the flames die down.

Add the fried bacon, garlic, salt, thyme, pepper, bay leaf & wine. Mix together well & bring to the boil. Cover & cook in the oven at 170°C for 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, melt half the butter or margarine in a frying pan, add the mushrooms & cook for about 7 minutes until golden.

Cream the remaining butter or margarine & mix with the remaining flour until smooth. Stir it into the casserole, a little at a time until well blended. Add the shallots & mushrooms, cover & cook for a further hour or until the meat is tender.

Serve in the casserole, garnished with a little chopped parsley if you wish.

900g large floury potatoes, preferably Maris Piper, peeled & quartered

100g unsalted butter

120ml single cream

Malden salt

Freshly ground black pepper

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Method

Place potatoes in salted boiling water for approximately 20 minutes, until cooked – not overcooked. Drain off all the water & replace the lid.

Shake the pan vigorously, which will start to break up the boiled potatoes. Squeeze the potatoes through a ricer into a bowl.

Gradually mix in the butter, cream & seasoning with a wooden spoon.

Incidentally – there’s a German dish Himmel und Erde, which translates to Heaven & Earth, where baked apple is mashed with potato. Apples from heaven, potatoes from earth. Its great with pork sausages.

Ingredients

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12-18 Victoria or other plums, depending on what’s available

1 bottle Beaujolais Nouveau

3 leaves gelatine

100g caster sugar

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

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For the Topping

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200ml thick custard

2 tbsp plain flour

40g hard butter, chopped into small pieces

½ tbsp muscovado sugar

4 tbsp oats

30 cobnuts, shelled & roughly chopped

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Method

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Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

First make the topping. Put the flour & butter into a bowl & rub together with your fingers to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Stir in the brown sugar then mix in the oats & cobnuts. Spread out on a baking tray.

Quarter the plums. Place cut side up on another baking tray. Place both of the trays in the oven & bake for 15-20 minutes until the plums are lightly coloured & softened & the topping is golden.

Soak gelatine in cold water for 20 minutes. Boil the wine & sugar together for 10 minutes to burn off the harsh alcohol. Remove from the heat. Squeeze the water from the gelatine, add to the wine & whisk until dissolved, add the thyme.

Pour wine/jelly mixture into a suitable serving bowl or individual serving glasses. Divide the plums & their cooking juices between the serving glasses & refrigerate for 24 hours.

To serve, divide the thick custard between each serving glass, spooning on top of the jelly. Sprinkle the nutty crumble over the jellies.