Niamh's slow-cooked beef stew

There is not a thing in this world that is as warming or dare we say it - comforting, as a stew. And the great thing about stew is, everybody has their own recipe or trick or secret ingredient.

Our Niamh is a dab hand in the kitchen and well-known for her flapjacks and shortbread, so we asked her to share a recipe. This recipe has been passed down from her grandmother. And as with all good stew recipes, you can really add anything you like to it!

(Insider's Tip: Niamh says, the key to this recipe is the browning at the start. It really makes all the difference to the flavour)

Ingredients:

500g of stewing steak, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 large onions, roughly chopped
2 sticks of celery, sliced
A couple of dessertspoons of flour
Pinch of mixed herbs
Salt and black pepper
A squirt of tomato puree
2 beef stock cubes mixed with 475ml of hot water
Oil for browning the meat

Method:

Coat the meat in flour, then brown it on the pan in the oil.

Remove it from the pan and add the carrots, celery and onions. Fry gently until they start to soften.

Add the meat, stock, tomato puree, salt and pepper and the herbs. If it's a bit too thick, add more water.

Put it all into the slow cooker and cook it on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours.