James Martin's slow cooker beef pie recipe is 'hearty and warming'

James Martin's beef pie is a simple slow cooker recipe (Image: Getty)

In deepest winter when the days are long and the temperatures are frosty, steak pie is a perfect dinner.

Slow cookers are a great bit of kit for taking all the legwork out of your meals.

James Martin's slow cooker beef pie has melt-in-your-mouth tenderness without all the effort.

All you have to do is gather your ingredients, pop on the slow cooker and make use of ready-made pastry for the crust.

The chef wrote: "Beef & Ale Pie is a classic dish that is hearty and warming. Slow cooked, the meat is lovely and tender and the creamy mash is the perfect partner!"

Slow cookers take the work of dinner (Image: Getty)

James Martin's beef and ale pie

Ingredients

2kg shin of beef, diced

Two tbsp vegetable oil

Twp tbsp plain flour

Salt and pepper

Three onions, sliced

Three bay leaves

One small bunch of thyme

One bulb garlic, crushed

300ml beef stock

700ml beer

One large marrowbone

Two 300g ready rolled puff pastry

To serve – mash, butter, double cream

Egg wash

Method

Toss the meat in flour. Then, in a very large non-stick casserole dish, fry the meat until deeply coloured, and season. Do this in batches.

Then, pop it all back into the pan with the onions, thyme, bay leaves and garlic, cover it all in beer and stock, then simmer for two hours. After, allow cool .

Pop into oven-proof dishes, sit a marrowbone in the centre, top with pastry, seal the edges, egg wash and bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 180c until golden and ready to serve.