Ingredients

3 onions, chopped
6 celery sticks, finely chopped
4 tbsp vegetable oil
3 carrots, halved and cut into chunks
2 tsp Yellow mustard
2 Cloves of garlic
30ml of red wine (optional)
2 bay leaves
½ pack thyme
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp black pepper
6 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 beef stock cubes or stock pots
900g beef for braising such as skirt, buy a whole piece and cut it yourself for bigger chunks
2 tsp cornflour (optional)
½ small bunch parsley, chopped
buttery mash, to serve (optional)

Method

STEP 1
Fry the onions and celery in 1 tbsp oil over a medium heat until they start to soften for about 5-10 mins. You want some colour on the onions as this gives depth of flavour. Add the carrots, garlic, bay leaves and thyme, fry for a further 5 mins, stir in the tomato purée and cook out for a few minutes and stir. Now add the Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard, add 600ml boiling water with the dissolved beef stock cubes and red wine stir and tip everything into a slow cooker if available or add to a pan.

STEP 2
Clean out the frying pan and fry the beef in the remaining oil in batches until it is well browned, the more brown gives a better flavour and colour. Tip each batch into the slow cooker or pan. Cook on low for 4 hrs until the beef is tender.

STEP 3
If you want to thicken the stock, mix the cornflour with a splash of cold water to make a paste, then stir in 3 tbsp of the liquid from the slow cooker. Tip back into the slow cooker or pan, stir and cook for a further 5 mins. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and black pepper to taste.