Slow cooked beef stew

Ingredients

• 1.2L (2 pt) water boiled from a kettle
• 1/2 a swede, cut into small chunks
• 3 medium sized carrots, cut in chunks
• mushrooms
• 1 large pack of lean stewing steak or rump steak, cut into small even chunks
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 75g (3 oz) flour
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3 to 4 beef stock cubes
• 5 twists of black pepper from mill
• splash or two Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Marmite
• 1 desertspoon tomato puree

Directions

1. Put the kettle on so that you have boiled water ready.
2. Prepare vegetables and put into stockpot or slow cooker.
3. Put the oil and beef into a large bowl and coat the beef with the oil using wooden spoon or your hands.
4. In another large bowl combine the flour, herbs, pepper and 3 stock cubes. Add the beef to the flour mixture (keep the oil separate as you will need this later) and coat the beef with the flour.
5. Add some of the oil from the other bowl to a large frying pan or wok and heat gently. Take out the beef and add it to the hot oil (leave any excess flour in the bowl for later). Add Marmite, Worcestershire sauce and tomato puree to the pan and if beef sticks to the pan add more oil. Cook the beef all the way through for about 5 to 10 minutes to seal in the flavour.
6. Add the rest of the flour to the vegetables in the stockpot or slow cooker (if you don't like thick gravy leave it out or only add half of the flour and put more herbs into the stew later if required). Pour boiled water onto the vegetables a little at a time and stir to mix in the flour. Add the beef and cooking juices to the pot and cook all day in your slow cooker on low or medium heat for most of the day.
7. Taste throughout cooking to see if stew has enough herbs, pepper and stock cubes. If too thick add more water.
8. Serve with potatoes and cabbage and crusty bread.