2 carrots, sliced350 g (12oz) swede, peeled and cut into chunks
2Tbsp.
plain flour
150ml
(¼ pint) Guinness
300ml
(½ pint) hot beef stock
2tsp.
dark brown sugar
1Tbsp.
Worcestershire sauce
1
bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
FOR THE DUMPLINGS
200g
(7oz) plain flour
3tsp.
baking powder
½ tsp dry English mustard
50g
(2oz) low-fat vegetable suet, such as Atora Light
2Tbsp.
mixed freshly chopped herbs (we used parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme)
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan) mark 2. Heat 1tbsp oil in a flameproof casserole dish and brown the beef in batches. Set aside.
Step 2
Add remaining oil to the pan and gently fry the onions and carrots for 10min until softened. Add swede and cook for 2min.
Step 3
Return beef to pan, sprinkle in flour and cook for 1min. Gradually stir in the Guinness and stock. Add sugar, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and thyme; bring to the boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 3hr. The beef should be so tender you can cut it with a spoon.
Step 4
To make the dumplings, sift the flour, baking powder, mustard and ½tsp salt into a bowl. Stir in the suet and mixed herbs. Using a flat-bladed knife, stir in around 150ml (¼ pint) cold water to make a soft but not too sticky dough.
Step 5
Divide dough into 12 and roll into balls. Drop on to stew, spaced evenly apart. Cover and cook for 20min until puffed up. Remove lid and return to the oven for 5min to finish cooking dumplings.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
