Easy Mince Pie

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Grease a medium sized baking dish with some butter and put aside

Heat a small knob of butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic over a low heat for 10 - 15 minutes until soft and translucent

Turn the heat up to high, and then fry the beef mince until evenly brown all over. Drain off any excess fat (but not down the sink!)

Dissolve the beef stock cube in about 100ml of boiling water, using a whisk to remove any lumps. Pour the stock into the saucepan of mince along with the can of chopped tomatoes, the bay leaf and dried parsley. Bring the mixture to the boil, and then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper to taste

Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into scallops about half a centimetre thick (like you would for dauphinois potatoes or a lamb hotpot). Parboil the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 3 minutes, and then drain

Layer half the potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish and then top with the mince mixture. Layer the remaining potatoes on the top of the mince and dot with butter ( I use about an ounce but you can use more and the potatoes will be more crispy and flavoursome)

Bake in the oven for an hour. The potatoes should be soft on the bottom of the dish, and brown and crispy on the top of the dish. Serve with steamed green vegetables