(Serves 4)

1 kg stewing steak
2 tbsps sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
250 ml Guinness
Beef stock
Salt and pepper
Small bunch fresh thyme
1 tbsp butter mixed with 1 tbsp flour
300 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
120 g butter
300 g cold mashed potatoes
1 large egg, beaten

Cut the meat into small cubes, trimming off any fat or sinew. Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the meat in batches, transferring each batch to a plate while you fry the rest. Add the onion and carrots to the pan and fry for two minutes, then return the meat to the pan, pour in the Guinness and enough stock to just cover.

Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer very gently for about two hours, or until the meat is very tender. When it’s cooked, stir in enough of the butter/flour mixture to thicken the gravy.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Sift the flour, baking powder and half a teaspoon of salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter, then crumble in the potatoes and mix well. Add enough of the egg to make a soft but not sticky dough. Roll or pat the dough out to a one-centimetre thickness and cut it into rounds with a five-centimetre cookie cutter, re-rolling as necessary.

Divide the meat between four individual gratin dishes and arrange the scones round the edge of the dishes, overlapping them slightly. Brush with milk and bake for about 20 minutes until the scones are puffy and golden. Alternatively, cook in one large dish. Serve with shredded cabbage, steamed or sautéed in butter.