A slow cooker filling

Here's a filling that uses your slow cooker and, other than 30 minutes prep, the rest is done by magic!

Steak Pie Filling

Servies 4/6

1kg/2.2lbs braising steak or stewing steak, cubed

glug of rapeseed or Canola oil

2 x Knorr beef stock pots

2 heaped tbsp tomato paste

2 heaped tbsp small chunk Branston pickle

or you could use your Balsamic Onion Jam!

Brown the meat in a frying pan, using a drop of rapeseed oil – do this in small batches – if you don't you'll get grey looking meat - it'll take ages and will stew. Using a slotted spoon pop the browned meat into the slow cooker.

Dissolve the stock pots in the residual pan juices, then add the tomato paste – make sure the paste is properly melted and “cooked out” - if you don't do this you'll get a bitter taste. Add your Branston, then add 250ml water, bring to the boil and tip over your meat. Slow cook on low for 4 hours. If your gravy is too thin then add a little slaked cornflour and thicken to taste.

You can make this filling ahead and freeze it, should you have a spare 30 minutes.

All that remains in your choice of lid – you could cheat and use a puff pastry sheet, make double the amount of Fast Flaky Pastry (given in “More pastry choices”) or create a “hot-pot” style, sliced potato lid from your ready-baked potato stash – there's an idea!

Life is so much easier this way.

Then there's an all-time favourite …