Steak and ale pie with caramelised celeriac

Roll the beef blade in the flour and shake off any excess. Place in a shallow frying pan, adding the oil in stages, and cook until browned. Transfer the beef to a casserole pan. De-glaze the pan with the stout and bring to the boil, pour over the beef

In a separate pan, sauté the onions and mushrooms until slightly coloured. Add the tomato purée, pour in the reduced chicken stock and bring to the boil

Once boiling, pour into the casserole dish containing the beef. Cover the dish tightly with tin foil and place in an oven set to 140°C for 3 hours, or until the beef is tender

Peel the carrots and slice wafer thin using a mandolin. Bring the water, sugar, vinegar, lemon and crushed cardamom pods to the boil, allow to cool and pour over the carrots. Keep in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour

Peel the celeriac and dice into rough 2cm cubes. Melt the butter in a pan and cook the celeriac over a medium heat to slowly caramelise, when it is soft and developed a golden colour, de-glaze the pan with brown chicken stock

Crush the celeriac lightly with a potato masher or whisk. Season with sea salt and keep in a container until needed

Once the beef has cooked, allow to cool with the foil still on. Pour some of the mixture into 3 inch by 2 inch casserole dishes or ramekins 3/4 of the way up

Roll out the puff pastry to the thickness of a pound coin and cut to fit each dish. Place on top of each dish, and brush with egg wash. Bake in an oven set 180°C for 10 minutes. The pastry should be golden and well risen and the beef mix should be hot in the middle

To plate, warm the celeriac and spoon onto warm plates, place some of the pickled carrots on top and arrange each pie alongside. Garnish with some picked watercress