Mary Berry’s ‘warming’ beef stew recipe is a staple for cosy autumn nights

With summer behind us and the nights getting steadily darker and colder, it’s time to ditch the salads and whip up something more comforting for dinner on those cosy nights at home during autumn and winter.

Having years of cooking genius behind her, Mary Berry is the ideal chef to look to for food inspiration as we change our home kitchen menus with the seasons and her beef stew recipe certainly ticks all the boxes.

The classic British staple has been sprinkled with some Mary magic and can be prepared in under 30 minutes in just five easy steps. As with most stews, you will need at least two hours for the dish to marinate and cook through so the meat is tender – a great recipe to make at the weekend, with leftovers being enjoyed during the week when time is at a premium.

According to the Express, Mary first shared this recipe in 1975 but more recently it featured on her TV special, A Berry Royal Christmas, that also starred Prince William and Princess Kate. The trio explored the charities the Royal couple support and Mary shared special recipes for the season, which she cooked for volunteers at the charities by way of a thank you for their selfless, hard work. It now features on the BBC Good Food site.

Mary’s delicious warming dish is flavoured with ginger, paprika and horseradish. She suggests serving it with dauphinoise potatoes and green beans. You will need a 2 litre shallow, oven proof and flameproof dish or pan but it could also be made in a slow cooker.

The ingredients you will need are:

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil

• 750g/1lb 10oz braising steak, cut into 2cm/¾in cubes

• 25g/1oz butter

• 2 small leeks, trimmed and finely sliced

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 2 tsp paprika

• 40g/1½oz plain flour

• 425ml/¾ pint good-quality beef stock, hot

• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 small celeriac, peeled and cubed into 2cm/¾in pieces

• 2 heaped tbsp hot horseradish cream

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Here’s the method to cook Mary Berry’s beef stew.

1. Preheat the oven to 160C / 140C for a fan oven or gas mark 3.

2. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pan and fry the braising steak over a high heat until browned. Remove from the pan and set it aside.

3. Add the butter and leeks to the leftover oil and meat juices in the pan and fry for a few minutes. Then add the ginger, paprika and flour – stir and fry for one minute. Next pour in the stock and bring to the boil, while stirring continuously until thickened. Add Worcestershire sauce and seasoning and return the meat to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and and simmer for a few minutes.

4. Transfer to the oven in the pan or an oven dish and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes – two hours. Then add in the celeriac and bring back to the boil before returning to the oven for 30 minutes when the meat should be tender.

5. Lastly, stir in the horseradish sauce and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

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