Nottinghamshire Beef and Stilton Pie
Tender braised beef in a rich ale gravy, enriched with creamy Stilton cheese and encased beneath crisp golden puff pastry.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 125 min
- Total
- 150 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 720 kcal
Equipment
- •Casserole dish
- •Pie dish (approx. 24 cm)
- •Pastry brush
- •Wooden spoon
- •Chef's knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- fat
- 42 g
- carbs
- 38 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 48 g
- calories
- 720 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Toss the diced beef in seasoned plain flour until evenly coated.
- 2
Heat the vegetable oil in a large casserole dish on medium-high heat on the hob.
- 3
Brown the beef in batches until well caramelised on all sides, then remove to a plate.
- 4
Add the diced onion and carrots to the empty pan and cook for 5 minutes until softening.
- 5
Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute until aromatic.
- 6
Pour in the ale and beef stock, scraping up all browned bits from the pan bottom.
- 7
Return the beef with Worcestershire sauce and thyme, cover, and simmer gently on low heat for 90 minutes.
- 8
Remove from the heat, discard the thyme sprig, and let the stew cool for 15 minutes.
- 9
Gently fold the crumbled Stilton cheese into the warm beef mixture without melting it entirely.
- 10
Preheat your fan oven to 190°C and spoon the filling into a 24 cm pie dish.
- 11
Top with rolled puff pastry, trim the edges, crimp (pinch the pastry edge), and brush with beaten egg.
- 12
Cut a small slit in the pastry centre and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
Chef's tips
Let the beef filling cool slightly before adding the pastry lid so the butter stays cold and gives maximum puff. Folding the Stilton in at the end preserves distinct melted pockets of cheese throughout the rich ale gravy.
Ingredient substitutions
- blue Stilton cheese → mature British blue cheese such as Blue Shropshire
- dark British ale → additional beef stock with 1 tsp malt vinegar
Storage
Store any cooled leftover pie in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat slices covered loosely in foil in a fan oven at 170°C for 20 minutes until piping hot throughout.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Simmering the Stilton in the long braise, which makes the cheese oil split and lose its texture.
- •Covering hot filling with pastry immediately, which melts the pastry fat and prevents rising.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Nottinghamshire Beef and Stilton Pie?
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