Cottage pie

1 onion

1 garlic clove

1 carrot

1 celery stick

1 x 15ml spoon olive oil

200g lean minced beef

1 x 15ml spoon tomato purée

½ reduced-salt beef stock cube

300ml water

1 x 5ml spoon Worcestershire sauce

1 x 5ml spoon reduced-salt light soy sauce

3-4 potatoes

20g reduced-fat cheddar

Chopping board, vegetable peeler, sharp knife, two saucepans and lid, heat-resistant spoon, potato masher, colander, spoon, grater, ovenproof dish. 

1. Prepare the vegetables:
• peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic;
• peel and slice the carrot;
• slice the celery.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic and stir for 4 minutes or so, until the onion starts to brown.
3. Add the beef mince and cook over a medium heat until the mince has browned.
4. Drain off any excess fat before adding the tomato purée and stock. Add the Worcestershire sauce and reduced-salt soy sauce.
5. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, adding more stock if the mince starts to stick to the pan.
6. While the mince is simmering, put a saucepan of water onto boil.
7. Peel and cube the potatoes and boil in the water for about ten minutes until they are soft. Drain over the sink.
8. Mash the potato using either a fork or a potato masher. You may wish to add a small amount of semi-skimmed milk or low-fat spread when mashing the potatoes.
9. Pre-heat the grill to a medium heat.
10. Spoon the mince into an ovenproof dish and top with the mash. Grate the reduced-fat cheese on top.
11. Grill until the potato and cheese on top starts to brown and turn crisp.

• Serving suggestion: Serve your cottage pie with broccoli, green beans or a mixed green salad.
• Reduce food waste: Use up any leftover vegetables in your cottage pie e.g. leeks. 
• Turn up the flavour: Experiment with toppings, use other vegetables to make the mash e.g. parsnips, sweet potaotes, carrots. 
• Transform your leftovers: Use your leftover mince to create a new dish like spaghetti bolognese or chilli con carne.
• For a vegetarian alternative: Swap the minced beef for lentils or beans. 
• Food skills: Check out our food skills videos to help understand the key skills used in this recipe. 

Be ingredient aware!

Check for any food allergy, intolerance, special dietary requirement or religious/cultural reasons for not handling or eating the ingredients in this recipe. 

You may need to modify the recipe accordingly. For example, if following a vegan or vegetarian diet, use an alternative such as lentils or beans. For those with an allergy to lactose, avoid adding milk to the mash. Always check food labels for allergens, and suitability for vegetarians and vegans.

For full guidance and up-to-date information on the 14 allergens, please visit the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website. 
  

Nutritional information

This recipe serves three portions based on portion size guidance for 11-18 year olds , if serving to younger children then they may require a smaller portion and if serving to adults, they may require a bit more. 

Why not use the Explore Food calculator, the British Nutrition Foundation's free online nutritional analysis programme, to calculate the nutritional information for other recipes?