Serves 4

•  1 tbsp butter
• I tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 500g lean beefsteak, cubed
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1tbsp thyme
• 1 small bottle brown ale
• 200ml thick beef stock
• 300g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 140g shredded suet

1.  Heat the butter and oil in a large pan and cook onions for 5 mins until golden.
2. Add beef until browned, then add carrot, thyme and sweet potato.
3. Add the brown ale and stock and bring to the boil.
4. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours until meat is tender.
5. Butter a large pudding bowl.
6. To make pastry, mix together flour, mustard powder and suet and season with salt. Add about 150ml water to form a soft dough. Set ¼ dough aside.
7. On a floured surface, roll out remaining dough to make a large round to line the pudding bowl with an extra 1cm hanging over the rim. Roll out the ¼ set aside to a circle to cover the top.
8. Pour off liquid from the beef into a small pan and set aside. Spoon beef into pudding bowl and pour in 100ml of the liquid. Fold the overhanging pastry in and place lid on top pressing edges to seal.
9. Cover over and tie some greaseproof paper and then the same with foil.
10. Half fill a pan with water and bring to the boil. Lower in the pudding, cover and simmer for 2 hours topping up water when necessary.

 Use the leftover liquid for gravy if you want to, adding a little corn flour to thicken.