Slow cooked beef and ale pasty with horseradish cream dip and pickled red cabbage

Start by making the pasty dough. Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl, then rub in the unsalted butter and lard until the flour becomes a ‘sandy’ consistency

Add in 180ml cold water and bring the mix together, then knead for around 8 minutes until the dough becomes elastic 

Cover the dough with cling film in a clean bowl, then leave to rest in the fridge for 3 hours

While the dough is chilling, prepare the quick-pickled red cabbage. Add the apple cider vinegar, caster sugar, salt, bay leaf and 350ml water to a bowl, and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Add finely sliced cabbage to the bowl and stir to combine

Cover and chill in the fridge to pickle until needed, or at least 1 hour

Next, get started on the beef and ale filling. Warm the vegetable oil over a medium-high in a large pot

Sear the beef on all sides until browned, then remove from the pot and set aside

Add the potato, onion and carrot to the pan, and cook until the onions have softened. Add in the garlic then cook down for a couple of minutes 

Stir through the tomato purée and flour, then add in the ale and beef stock 

Bring the mix to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper and add in the bay leaf. Leave to simmer for around 1 hour

Preheat the oven to 165°C fan

Once the pastry has chilled, roll it out and cut into circles around 25 cm wide 

Take a few spoons of the filling and add it to the centre of the pasty dough. After lightly brushing the edges with water, fold the pasty in half

Next, crimp the edges together. Using your thumb as a guide, pinch and fold the pastry edge over itself to seal all of the filling into the pasty

Once you have crimped the edge, fold the end corner underneath to fully seal in the filling

Place each pasty on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and brush with egg wash. Bake in the oven for around 50 minutes, until golden brown 

While the pasties are baking, prepare the horseradish cream dip. Add the crème fraîche to a bowl, then add in the finely grated horseradish root

Stir well before adding in the mustard, sugar and the chopped chives, reserving a pinch for topping later 

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed, then set aside 

When ready to serve, spoon the horseradish cream into a small bowl and top with some more chives and a scrunch of fresh black pepper. Serve alongside the warm pasties and a generous portion of the pickled red cabbage on the side