Eat: Steak and Ale Pie

I was set on relaxing this weekend {which is surely a bit of an oxymoron...} after the intense first couple of weeks on my PGDE. The course is brilliant but seriously time and energy consuming - as I knew it would - meaning personal time seems to be have been side stepped in favour of textbooks, subject knowledge and lots and lots of reading. So this weekend, there was some me time, wine, a long long run and nowsome proper cooking. The kind that involves a little investment {though not too much} rather than a mad dash midweek supper that you just want on the table. Proper sunday food.

Pie and mash. Specifically, steak and ale pie and mash. Lovely.

I followed this recipe from Jamie {love him} though I have to say I adjusted it a bit. First, I definitely didn't whack it in the oven for over 2 hours. I'd missed that bit when I first skimmed the recipe {though it should've been kind of obvious}. I imagine you'd end up with meat that literally falls apart as you eat it which would be perfect, but sticking it to simmer on the hob for an hour or so instead didn't do it any harm. I also skipped on the rosemary and celery though categorically not the cheese. Adding cheese to anything is a winner in my book, so the thought of a steak pie with cheese AND mash? I've died.

I did try to mainly leave it alone when it was simmering, stirring just once or twice. That said, the smell of it cooking was diving and it just drifted round the flat. It definitely took all of my willpower not to keep tasting and faffing with it.

We have a friend staying with us too {Gok, it's your moment in the spotlight} so I made sure to make a rather hearty serving for 3 and it was delicious. The recipe says 4-6 and it was about the right amount but that depends on whether you like your portions manly man sized or normal human sized. It was perfect for a sunday evening, popular with ladies and men alike. Maybe not your light summer food {and yesterday was one of those rare, light summer days} though delicious none the less. I'm embracing Autumn already.

Next on my list is apple cake. My mum used to bake one all the time when we were younger and for some reason it's been stuck in my mind this week. And some more reading.

LoveBx