Guy Fawkes Night Country Beef Stew

Tonight I wanted something really warming and to feed some German guests who're staying here. Had to be totally "English style", seasonal and of course completely locally grown.  So, you can't get nearer than our garden and the Leintwardine village butcher......this is how I started.........

Three pounds of Mr Doug Griffiths' prime beef stewing steak, especially selected by the ever-obliging Gordon (known by me as GallopingGordon).

Three onions from Henry's stash in the shed - he really must grow more next season.

A clove of garlic, from same stash - he really is a hoarder!

Couple of tbs of Bacheldre Mill flour
Tsp of Coleman's English mustard
Grind of black pepper corns

Pinch of Halen Mon salt - only tad, because will be adding pickled walnuts later and they can be a little on the salty-side.......

Ensure the beef is "dry" (press in a clean tea-towel if necessary) then mix the flour, mustard & pepper on a flat dish.  Heat some oil, (I like to use Shropshire Rape-seed Oil) in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and add a knob of English butter.  Roll chunks of beef in the flour mix and place in the hot fat enough to cover pan base.  Quickly brown on all sides using tongs to turn.  The butter helps to caramelise and brown the meat.  Transfer the pieces to oven-proof stew-pot as you go along.  Add a little more oil/butter as needed to sizzle-brown all the meat.

 Peel and dice the onions, add more oil/butter to frying pan and cook till softened and slightly coloured. Bash the garlic on a board with the back of a chopping knive, remove the skin and crush then add to onions and cook together for a minute. Scrape all into the meat in the stew-pot then pour some liquid into the frying pan and bubble up, scraping all the meat residue in the pan. (I used apple juice from the Ludlow Vineyard)  Pour into the stew pot then top up to just about cover the meat with some cider.  The one here is a new to me, found it at the Herefordshire Food Festival and is call Orgasmic Cider.  (Just hope it works for both of us!)  Add some bay leaves (these are from the tree in garden of our holiday cottage in Ludlow), chopped sage leaves and some fennel seeds - these are all from our garden.  Bring everything up to a simmer, stirring all the time then put in oven for a couple of hours.  Bring out, check that the meat is becoming tender and add some quatered pickled walnuts............ Bring back up to the simmer and put back in a low oven for a minimun of another 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and check for seasoning, you may need to add salt if preferred........

Here it is, straight out of the oven served with a dish of Lower Buckton leeks in cheese sauce and a bowl of the creamiest, buttery mashed organic potatoes you'll find! The leeks' sauce is made with Ludlow Food Centre's new blue cheese, Mawley Town Farm milk and Netherend English organic butter.  Bliss!

The Germans loved it all............