The ultimate beef and vegetable stew

There’s no better way to pack your daily protein and vegetable intake into your day than by chowing down on this delicious, hearty stew. With mouthwateringly tender, braised beef and a mix of the best veggies – this flavourful dish is guaranteed to leave you wanting more.

Even though the flavour is by far one of the best parts about this meal, the simplicity and flexibility of the entire recipe is definitely a plus. Not only is it super simple to whip up, but it’s a great way to get rid of those foods in your fridge that you might otherwise let go to waste. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 celery sticks, thickly sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 really big carrots, halved lengthways then very chunkily sliced
• 5 bay leaves
• 2 thyme sprigs, 1 whole and 1 leaves picked
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 beef stock cubes, crumbled
• 850g stewing beef, cut into nice large chunks

Method

1. Heat oven to 160C. Boil water in kettle. Put celery sticks, onion, carrots, bay leaves and 1 whole thyme sprig in flameproof casserole dish with vegetable oil and butter.
2. Soften for 10 mins. Stir in flour until no longer dusty, followed by tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock cubes. Gradually stir in 600ml hot water, then tip in beef and bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Cover and put in oven for 2hrs 30 mins. Uncover and cook for 30mins – 1hr more or until meat tender and sauce is thickened.
4. Garnish with picked leaves of thyme. Serve.