Traditional British Beef Pie
Traditional British Recipes

Traditional British Beef Pie

In the Oven
serves 4

This traditional British beef pie is built for cozy dinners: chunks of beef are browned, gently simmered with onion, carrot, and stock, then topped with flaky pastry and baked until deeply golden.

Serve it with buttery mash or seasonal greens, and let the filling rest for a few minutes before slicing so the gravy sets nicely and each portion holds together.

Pie
25 mins prep1 hr 15 mins cook1 hr 40 mins total

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Pat the beef dry, season with salt and pepper, then toss with 2 tablespoons flour.

  2. Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy pan. Brown the beef in batches until well coloured, then set aside.

  3. In the same pan, cook onion and carrot for 6-8 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and tomato purée for 1 minute.

  4. Return beef to the pan, add Worcestershire sauce, stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook gently for 45 minutes until the beef is tender and the gravy has thickened.

  5. Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and cool the filling for 10 minutes. Transfer to a pie dish.

  6. Lay puff pastry over the dish, trim and crimp the edges, and cut a small steam vent. Brush with beaten egg.

  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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