Beef & Guinness stew with carrots

With sweet, slow-cooked carrots and beautifully tender meat, this beef and stout stew is comfort in a pot. Serve with creamy parsnip mash for a warming meal.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1kg stewing beef, cut into large chunks
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 10 carrots, cut into large chunks
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 500ml can stout
• 1 beef stock cube
• pinch of sugar
• 3 bay leaves
• big thyme sprig
• Creamy parsnip mash, to serve (see recipe below)

Directions

Method

• STEP 1

  Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat the oil in large lidded casserole dish, brown the meat really well in batches, then set aside. Add the onion and carrots to the dish, give them a good browning, then scatter over the flour and stir. Tip the meat and any juices back into the dish and give it all a good stir. Pour over the stout and crumble in the stock cube. Season the stew with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Tuck in the herbs and bring everything to a simmer.

• STEP 2

  Cover with a lid and place in the oven for about 2½ hrs until the meat is really tender. The stew can now be chilled and frozen for up to 3 months – defrost completely before reheating until piping hot. Leave the stew to settle a little, then serve with creamy parsnip mash for a true celebration of winter vegetables.