Beef Shin, Guinness and Whiskey Pie

Preheat your oven to fan 140°C/gas mark 1.

Start by braising the beef shin as it takes the longest and needs to cool before filling the pie. In a mixing bowl, add the diced beef, 20g of flour, salt and pepper. Mix well to fully coat the beef. Heat the casserole pan with a little oil until it begins to smoke. Add the beef in batches (too much at once will cause the pan to cool down too fast and the meat will boil, not sear). Sear the meat on all sides, remove and continue with the remaining beef.

Once all the meat has been browned, add the chopped vegetables with the star anise. Reduce the heat slightly and gently sweat the vegetables - this will help to deglaze the pan without it burning. Once the vegetables start to brown, add the butter and let it melt. Add the remaining 30g of flour and mix it in. Now, pour in the beef stock and Guinness. Lid or foil the pot, and place in the oven for 4-5 hours or until the meat is really tender. Check every hour or so to make sure the water hasn’t evaporated too much. If it starts to look dry, add a little water. Once cooked, leave to cool to room temperature before filling the pie case. If it’s too hot, it will melt the butter in the pastry.

While the beef is cooking, you have plenty of time to get the pastry made, rested and rolled out. Start by grating 250g of fridge cold butter. Add to a mixing bowl with the flour and salt. Rub the flour and butter together between your fingertips until it starts to form a coarse crumble and clumps together slightly. Measure the cold water into the measuring jug, add the whole eggs and yolk, and whisk together. Add the eggs and water mix to the butter and flour crumble. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until they form a rough dough. It's important to not overwork the pastry as it will become tough and won’t be flakey. Form a large puck shape from the pastry, cover the dough and rest in the fridge for at least one hour.

Once the pastry has rested and chilled, you will be able to easily divide the base from the lid. Cut one-third of the pastry and set aside for the lid. You should be left with two puck-shaped sheets of pastry. Roll out the larger of the two using a rolling pin, roughly to the same thickness as a pound coin. Line the pie dish, cover and chill again.

When the pie filling is cooked and chilled, you can add it to the lined pie dish. Add a few good glugs of Irish whiskey. Roll out the remaining pastry for the lid. Brush a little water on the lip of the pie dish, and lay the lid down over the top (it should have a little overhang over the dish). Using your thumb, push down on the lid to seal the pie. Do this all the way around the pie until it’s fully sealed. Use a small knife to trim off the excess. Brush with egg yolk and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. You can add an extra layer or egg wash for a super glossy glaze.

Cut a small hole in the centre of the pie lid. This will allow steam to escape and not burst out of the pie and crack the pastry.

Cook in a preheated oven at fan 180°C/gas mark for 40-4 minutes. Leave to rest for 1 minutes before serving. Pair with some creamy mash, a generous pour of hot, thick gravy and a cold pint of Guinness.