'You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.'

This marvellous dish feeds three or four people, or one person for three days. It’s perfect to keep in the fridge after being cooked and then microwaved in portions for the next couple of days. It tastes better each day, as the flavours blend and mix.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?

• Preparation ca. 20 min
• Cooking time 2 hrs
• Serves 3-4
• Total costs ca. £8-£10

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?

• 1 large pot that can be used on a hob and then put into the oven.
• 1 large saucepan.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet of mincemeat. Lamb is best, but beef will do.  
• 1 small stick of chorizo
• 1 large onion
• 1 small can of baked beans
• 1 packet of cherry tomatoes
• 1 packet of mushrooms
• 1 carrot
• 4 potatoes
• Half a dozen finger chillies
• 1 sweet pepper
• A handful of frozen peas
• Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Oxo cube, and if possible, black pepper, Lea and Perrins Sauce and English Mustard.

HOW TO COOK

1. Boil the kettle a put around a pint of boiling water into a jug. Sprinkle in the oxo cube and stir. Then add a tsp of English mustard, a generous helping of Lea & Perrins sauce, lots of black pepper and a dash of salt. Stir well. (Don’t worry if the mustard doesn’t fully dissolve, it will later.) When ready, pour this into a big pot on the stove and put it on a low heat.
2. Slice and/or chop the chorizo into small pieces and put it in the pot.
3. Peel and slice the onion and put in in the pot.
4. Cut all the cherry tomatoes in half, and you guessed it, put them in the pot.
5. Take the stalks out of the mushrooms and cut them all into four pieces. Where do they go? In the pot!
6. Open the can of baked beans and into the pot!
7. Take half a dozen finger chillies and cut them into small pieces, and then into the pot they go.
8. Slice the sweet pepper into small pieces, and well, you know the rest.
9. Grate the carrot with a cheese grater and sprinkle it into the pot. While you’re there, pop in a handful of frozen peas if you have any clogging up the freezer.
10. Finally, break up the mincemeat and into the pot it goes! Stir the whole thing well and leave it to cook on a low to medium heat for between an hour and an hour and a half.
11. Peel and boil the four potatoes while the rest is cooking. When they are nice and soft, drain the water and mash them. It doesn’t matter if the mash gets cold. They are going in the oven later.
12. Keep stirring the big pot and let in boil down until the gravy is thick and yummy. When it looks nice and cooked and half of the gravy has boiled away, use a spoon to spread the mashed potato over the top. Make a pretty pattern with a fork and sprinkle cheese over the top.
13. Pop the whole thing in the oven at 180c for half an hour or so.
14. Lo and behold! One ‘chilli bomb’ shepherds pie! Keep in the fridge and eat within two or three days, or freeze it for later consumption.

Bon Appétit! :-)