Stew is one of the most comforting dishes there is but we’ve taken it to the next level by giving it a cobbler topping with cheddar scones flavoured with thyme and Marmite.
Tips for next-level beef cobbler
1. Make it chunky
Pre-diced stewing beef is often cut too small and breaks down during cooking. Cut the beef yourself to retain large chunks.
2. For depth of flavour
While it’s optional we recommend marinating the beef in the stout, if you have time, for deeper flavour and a meatier taste.
3. Back to your roots
For a built-in vegetable side (and because we love stewed carrots), we’ve upped the amount of carrots you’d usually use in a stew.
4. Choosing the right cut
For stewing, you want a cut of beef that has connective tissue running through it – this stops the meat drying out. We like shin but diced beef cheek would also work well, it just might take a bit longer.
5. Big and stout
Stout provides richness of taste and a deep colour but it can also create a bitter note – you can easily correct this with just a pinch of sugar.
6. Say cheese
Not content with the usual scone-based cobbler topping, we’ve made ours with mature cheddar to give this an extra layer of savoury tang.
7. Love it or hate it
To add yet another layer of flavour we’ve included Marmite in our cheese scone mixture – this enhances the overall seasoning of the finished dish, complementing the beef and the cheese.
How to make it
Next-level beef cobbler
Serves 6
Prep 40 mins
Cook 4 hrs
More effort
Ingredients
- 1kg braising steak (beef shin works well), cut into large chunks
- 500ml stout
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 6 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 beef stock cube
- 2 tsp golden caster sugar
- small bunch of thyme
- 3 bay leaves
For the cobbler topping
- 200ml whole milk
- 1 tsp Marmite (optional)
- 350g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- 50g wholemeal flour (or use a total of 400g self-raising flour)
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves, plus extra
To serve
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 100g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 150g mature cheddar, grated
- 1 egg, beaten
Method
1. If you have time, tip the beef into a large bowl, pour over the stout and chill for up to 24 hrs.If you do marinate the beef, drain, then pat dry using kitchen paper before continuing. Reserve the stout.
2. Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat the oil in flameproof casserole dish over a high heat and brown the beef on all sides (you’ll need to do this in batches). Set aside on a plate. Brown the onions and carrots for 6-8 mins, then scatter in the flour and stir to coat. Return the beef and any resting juices to the casserole and stir well. Pour in the reserved stout and crumble in the stock cube. Season with salt, pepper and the sugar. Tie together the thyme and bay leaves using kitchen string, drop into the stew and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hrs 30 mins-3 hrs or until the meat is tender. Remove from the oven and turn up the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
3 While the beef cooks, make the topping. Warm the milk and Marmite, if using, in a small pan over a low heat until steaming, then set aside. Tip the flours, thyme, baking powder, butter and a large pinch of salt into a bowl, and rub together using your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in 100g of the cheese. Stir in the warmed milk until a dough forms, then tip out onto lightly floured surface and pat out into a 2cm thickness. Stamp out scones using a round cutter or glass, re-rolling the offcuts to get 10 total.
4. If your stew isn’t close to the rim of the casserole dish, transfer to a pie tin or ceramic baking dish. For the glaze, brush the beaten egg over the scones and arrange on top of the stew, overlapping slightly if needed. Scatter over the remaining cheese and bake for 20-25 mins until deeply golden. Leave to rest for 5 mins, then scatter over some extra thyme leaves and serve from the dish.
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