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“Picture it now… a beef bourguignon in the slow cooker. Red wine in the glass. Barry White on the Alexa. A rose between your teeth. Okay maybe a bit too far,” says chef Poppy O’Toole.

“And if I’m being honest, there’s probably better food to get you in the mood than this hearty beef and moist carrot stew, because after a bowl or two of this you’ll be needing at least a three-hour nap. But whatever floats your boat.”

If you’re partial to mustard, O’Toole recommends adding a spoonful of Dijon to the mixture before cooking, and serve either with mashed potato or crusty bread.

Beef bourguignon

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

800g beef shin, diced

200g pancetta

250g shallots, finely diced

2 celery sticks, finely diced

300g chestnut mushrooms, halved

2 carrots, thickly sliced

Small handful of thyme, leaves picked

2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked

2 bay leaves

250ml red wine (I like Malbec)

250ml beef stock

30g butter, cubed (optional)

Splash of olive oil

1 tbsp cornflour, slackened with water

Salt and black pepper

Flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve (optional)

Method:

O’Toole has three cookbooks under her belt, including her latest – ‘Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook’ (Bloomsbury Publishing)

1. Season the beef generously with salt and let it come up to room temperature. Then, tip it into the bowl of your slow cooker.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the cornflour, along with one teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper. Put the lid on and cook on high for five hours, until the beef is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork. Stir through the cornflour slurry, and scatter with a few flat-leaf parsley leaves to serve, if you like.

‘Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook’ by Poppy O’Toole (Bloomsbury Publishing, £20).

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