Servings: 4

Level of difficulty: Intermediate

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 8-12 hours marinating

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes



Ingredients

• 200g shin beef, trimmed, but left in one piece on the bone

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 300ml light ale

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 100g clear honey



For the marinade

• 4 onions, peeled and cut into 6 wedges

• 100ml stout

• 50ml Alan Coxon’s Mediaeval Ale-Gar

• 3 thyme sprigs

• 3 fresh rosemary sprigs

• 3 sprigs of oregano

• 3 parsley sprigs

• 2 bay Leaves

• 6 garlic clove, peeled and halved

• 1tsp ground mace

• half-tsp turmeric

• 1tsp sea salt

• 1tsp English mustard

• 1tsp black peppercorns, crushed



To serve

• Crushed herb new potatoes

• Baby carrots



Method:

1. First, prepare the marinade. In a large bowl, place the onions, stout, Mediaeval Ale-Gar, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley, bay leaves, garlic, mace, cloves, turmeric, sea salt, mustard and peppercorns, mixing well.

2. Add the shin of beef to the marinade, making sure that it is completely covered by the marinade.

3. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours, turning occasionally.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

5. Remove the beef from the bowl, reserving the marinade for later.

6. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based roasting tray on the hob until very hot. Add in the beef and cook until golden on all sides.

7. Pour the reserved marinade into the hot pan, add the tomato puree and the light ale and cover with kitchen foil.

8. Place in the oven for 1 hour and 40 minutes, basting occasionally.

9. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, uncover the beef, drizzle over the honey and return to oven to continue cooking uncovered.

10. Remove from the over and allow to rest before carving.

11. Serve with crushed, herb potatoes and baby carrots.

Servings: 4

Level of difficulty: Intermediate

Preparation Time: 40 minutes, plus 3-4 hours soaking

Cooking Time: 40 minutes



Ingredients

• 90g currants

• 60g unsalted butter

• 240g leek, or onion sliced

• half-tsp thyme, chopped

• half-tsp rosemary, chopped

• 450g minced lamb

• 50ml Alan Coxon’s Mediaeval Ale-Gar

• 30g brown sugar, or 30g candied or dried pears, finely chopped

• 25g flour

• 2 pears, cored and chopped

• 1tsp tomato purée

• 350g puff pastry

• 1 egg wash, made up of 1 egg yolk with 1tbsp milk

• 1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper



Method

1. Soak the currants in the red wine and Ale-Gar for 3-4 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.

3. Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan.

4. Add the sliced leeks then cover the pan and cook gently for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the thyme, rosemary, minced lamb and sugar then stir well.

6. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes.

7. Add the flour and stir well, cooking for 2 minutes.

8. Add the soaked currants, with the wine and the chopped pears, then the tomato puree. Mix well, turn off the heat and leave to cool.

9. Meanwhile, roll out the pastry, and use around two-thirds of it to line a lightly greased 30cm flan ring.

10. Roll out the pastry lid from the remaining pastry and set aside.

11. Brush the rim of the pastry case with a little egg wash.

12. Fill the lined flan ring with the mincemeat mixture, level and cover with the pastry lid, sticking the sides and lid together.

13. Crimp the sides, brush with egg wash and make a decorative pattern on the lid.

14. Bake the pie for 22-25 minutes until golden.

15. Remove, then leave to cool slightly before cutting and serving. Serve with cooked vegetables and mustard mash.



For more information on Alan and his fantastic products visit www.alancoxon.com