Meals for under £10: Masterchef winner Gary McLean’s timeless steak pie

MASTERCHEF winner Gary Maclean began his cooking career over 30 years ago and now he’s sharing his secrets and skills in a new book, Kitchen Essentials.

This classic, timeless recipe is perfect for Sunday dinner – or any day of the week really. As Gary says, there aren’t many things better than a homemade steak pie!

You’ll need:

900g stewing steak, cut into cubes

20g seasoned flour

1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, sliced

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tbsp thyme, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

500ml hot beef stock

225g/8oz puff pastry, ready-made

1 egg, beaten

Method:

Dust the cubed steak with the seasoned flour.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and fry the meat.

Once the meat has browned, add the sliced onions, herbs, salt, freshly ground black pepper and stock. Bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer gently for an hour and a half until the meat is tender.

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Transfer the filling mixture to ovenproof dish.

Cut a piece of pastry and roll it out to fit across the top of the dish, pressing the edges together to seal.

Make a steam hole in the centre of the pie by slashing with a sharp knife, then brush with beaten egg.

Transfer to the oven and cook until the pastry is golden and crisp – which should take about 40 minutes.

Kitchen Essentials: The Joy of Home Cooking by Gary Maclean is published by Black & White.