Jono & Jules do food & wine

True inspiration by Jamie Oliver to use veal and cream in a shepherds pie – et voila … a Milkman’s Pie (veal being milk fed and then cream used in the dish).

Milkman’s Pie – to feed 6

• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 50g unsalted butter
• 8 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 450g veal mince
• 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
• 1 lemon
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 110ml pale ale/bitter
• 800g floury potatoes – we used Kerr’s Pinks
• milk
• 150g button or chestnut mushrooms
• 200ml single cream
• 50g Cheddar cheese

Cut the carrots and onions roughly into 1cm pieces then fry in a large pan with some olive oil and butter, a few good pinches of salt and white pepper, the thyme leaves and bay leaves. Cook on a medium to high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened. Add the mince and flour, grate in the lemon zest and crumble in the stock cube. Keep stirring and breaking up the mince until the liquid from the meat starts to evaporate. When it starts to fry again and takes on a bit of colour, pour in the bitter and just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a low heat and simmer with lid askew for 1 hour. Give it a stir every now and then.

When the mince has been cooking for about half an hour, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Peel and quarter the potatoes and cook in a pan of boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain and allow to steam in the pot for a few minutes, season well, then mash with a splash of milk and a some butter.

Finely slice the mushrooms and add to the mince, then pour in the cream. Season and bring back to the boil until the mixture has thickened a bit (we left ours a bit too liquid so be patient). Pour into a dish or tin and grate over the Cheddar. Spread the mashed potato on top and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until nice and brown on top. Serve with greens.

(Original recipe from Jamie’s Great Britain by Jamie Oliver, Penguin 2011.)

Wine Suggestion: A light young simple Syrah from the northern Rhône – like a Crozes-Hermitage. We were tempted with white but in hindsight think a red would fare better – nothing too heavy we think is the key.