directions

Peel the onion and finely chop. Peel the carrots and dice with the celery. Trim the garlic and crush with the back of a knife to peel, then crush to a paste with a garlic crusher. Cut the sugar snap peas in half.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add half of the butter and allow to melt and foam. Tip in the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté about 5 minutes until softened.

Stir in the steak mince to the pan and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until browned, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Stir in the tomato puree until combined. Pour in the stock with the Worcestershire sauce, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and then cook for about 5 minutes until thickened, stirring.

Stir in the frozen peas and pour the mince mixture into 2 x 350ml individual pie dishes (or use a small ovenproof dish) and if time allows set aside to allow a skin to form. This will make it easier to spread over the potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized dice. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until completely tender. To test, pierce one with the tip of a sharp knife – it should go in easily.

Drain the potatoes into a colander in the sink. Return to the pan and mash until smooth. Beat in the rest of the butter with the milk. Season lightly with salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper. Add dollops of the mashed potato on top of the mince mixture. Spread until smooth and then use a palette knife to indent the top, if liked. Place on the pie dishes on a baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes until bubbling and golden (for one ovenproof dish bake for 30-40 minutes).

Place in a pan fitted with a petal steamer and some water over a medium heat. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute until tender. Put the Shephard’s pies on plates and arrange the sugar snap peas alongside to serve.