Ingredients

Braised Beef - 1.2 kg Beefmaster goulash beef - 2 tbsp olive oil - Salt and freshly ground black pepper - 2 onions, diced - 2 carrots, diced - 2 celery stalks, diced - 4 garlic cloves, crushed - 250 g brown mushrooms, sliced - 2 tbsp tomato paste - 750 ml good-quality beef stock - 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce - 2 tbsp apricot or peach chutney - 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar - 1 tsp Dijon mustard - 2 tsp smoked paprika - 1 tsp sweet paprika - 1 tsp dried thyme - 2 bay leaves - 1 tsp brown sugar (optional, to balance the acidity) - 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (if needed, to thicken)

Creamy Mash - 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cubed - 60 g butter - 100 ml warm milk - 1⁄2 cup grated mature Cheddar (optional) - Salt and pepper

Topping - 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry - 1 egg, beaten - Fresh thyme leaves - Flaky sea salt

Method

1. Brown the beef: Season the goulash beef with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown the beef in batches until deeply caramelised. Remove and set aside.

2. Cook the vegetables: In the same pot, sauté the onions, carrots and celery for 8–10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes.

3. Build the gravy: Stir in the tomato paste, smoked paprika and sweet paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chutney, Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, stirring to coat everything.

4. Slow braise: Return the beef to the pot and pour in the beef stock. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Cover and simmer gently (or cook in a 160°C oven) for 2½–3 hours, until the beef is tender enough to break apart with a spoon.

5. Finish the filling: Remove the bay leaves. If the gravy is too thin, stir in the cornflour slurry and simmer for 2–3 minutes until thick and glossy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

6. Make the mash: Boil the potatoes until tender, then mash with the butter, warm milk, cheese (if using), salt and pepper until smooth.

7. Assemble: Spoon the beef filling into a deep pie dish. Spread the mashed potato evenly over the beef.

8. Top with pastry: Lay the puff pastry over the mash, trim the edges and press lightly onto the rim. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with thyme leaves and a pinch of flaky sea salt, and cut a few small slits in the pastry.

9. Bake: Bake at 200°C for 30–35 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.