Recipes: Mustard and Carrot Mash Cottage Pie

A twist on an old favourite, this Mustard and Carrot Mash Cottage Pie is delicious and another great way to get the kids eating more vegetables.

Serves 6

You will need:

1kg beef mince

2 red onion, finely chopped

1 cup of peas or petits pois

2 OXO beef stock cubes (or similar)

1 tbsp thyme

For the mash:

1kg of white or Maris Piper potatoes, sliced in half

4 carrots, sliced in half then chopped

1/4 cup of milk

2 tbsp of butter or margarine

100g of cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard (or more depending on your taste, 1 teaspoon is safe for kids)

Peel your potatoes, and cut in half (if they’re very large then cut them into quarters) and cook on the hob for 20-25 minutes, throwing the carrots in there too (check with a fork to make sure everything’s ready to mash).

Meanwhile…

Heat a large frying pan or Wok to a medium heat. Add a glug of olive oil and put your onions in. Cook them for around 5 minutes before adding your beef mince. Make sure you break up the mince, and turn it over in the pan ensuring the onions get mixed right in. Boil a kettle and make a cup of beef stock using the two stock cubes. Pour into the pan, adding your thyme and some salt and pepper.

Add the peas and stir throughly.

Once the mince has been cooking for around 15 minutes, your potatoes and carrots should be ready.

Remove the potatoes from the heat, and drain thoroughly. Add the butter, milk, mustard and some salt and pepper. Using a masher, mash everything as much as you like (leave it lumpy if you want it to crisp up nicely), and set aside for a moment.

Remove your mince mixture from the pan, and pour into a large casserole or ovenproof dish up to around half or two-thirds of the way.

Using a large spoon or similar, spoon your mash over the top of the mince mixture. Try and keep it relatively level but don’t worry if its not. Top with the grated cheese and a pinch of thyme.

Put the dish into the oven on 200 degrees celsius for around 20 minutes or until crispy golden brown on top.

Serve with your choice of seasonal vegetables.