What you do
Mix all the seasoning ingredients for the beef/chicken and add the flour, mix well. Coat all the pieces of beef with the seasoned flour, reserve any excess flour for the sauce.
Heat 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a large skillet/frying pan and brown the beef pieces in 3 batches, making sure they sizzle as soon as they hit the oil and are lightly browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a casserole/gratin dish.
At this point, check the oil to make sure any sediment from cooking is not burnt, if it is, wipe out the pan and add 2 tablespoons of fresh oil. If the beef oil is ok, then just continue cooking with it.
Add the onion, pancetta, celery and carrot and stir through, cover with a lid, and sweat for a good 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You should have a good medium sizzle sound going on all the time.
Next, add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme stems and bay leaves, stir through scraping up any sticky juices from the pan. Now add the wine and use this to dissolve/deglaze any sticky bits – this is fabulous natural flavour here!
Pour in the stock, add the beef and any resting juices into the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a slow simmer and pop the lid on. Cook slowly for about 2 hours, (NOTE- 50 minutes for chicken) or until the meat is beautifully soft. Taste the sauce and adjust if you need to with sea salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, make the scones. Place the flour, baking powder, butter and sea salt in a food processor and blend to a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add the herbs and three-quarters of the grated cheese and pulse twice to blend in. Add the soured cream and half the milk, pulse to blend, the mixture should start to come together. Add enough of the remaining milk to form a firm, but combined dough – not too wet, not too dry.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and bring together into a ball. Place in a bowl, cover with a cloth and leave to rest for 20 minutes
Next, thicken the beef. First discard the thyme and bay, then mix all the ingredients, plus 3 tablespoons of water to make a smooth paste. Whisk this into the sauce to thicken and add further flavour.
After resting, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 3.5cm thick. Use a 7cm round cutter to cut out the scones and arrange on top of the beef. Alternatively, keep it rustic and break up even sized blobs of dough on top. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
Place the cobbler on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven 170 C/150 C Fan/Gas 3 for 30–40 minutes or until the scones are a deliciously golden.
500g trimmed slow cook cut of beef e.g. shin, chuck, or blade, or make using chicken thighs- skinless and boneless
Seasoning – 2 flat teaspoons sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 flat teaspoon garlic granules, 1 flat teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon sugar. Mix in a pestle and mortar if you have one
1 tablespoon plain flour
Sunflower oil for frying
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
200g smoked pancetta, diced
2 celery sticks, trimmed, peeled, and sliced
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
150g button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
2 stems of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
300ml fruity red wine e.g. Merlot- if using chicken, replace the red wine for white
500ml beef stock (“Baxters” Beef Consommé is brilliant!) or chicken stock for chicken version
Sea salt and black pepper
To thicken and flavour
1 dessertspoon of plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 dessertspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon tomato puree
Scone Topping
450g self-raising flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
120g salted butter
½ teaspoon sea salt-
150g extra mature cheddar or Gruyere cheese, grated
100ml soured cream (I buy a small pot and use the left over to dot on top of the finished cobbler)
150ml milk (you may not need it all)
1 medium egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for glazing
2 tablespoons of chopped herbs such as parsley, chives, thyme, tarragon, a little mix up of two or three together is delicious