Feed five for under a fiver

Check out this amazing recipe for Beef & thyme (Lancashire) hotpot - and feed five for less than £5.

Recipe #12: Beef and thyme (Lancashire) hotpot

700g of British stewing beef (£2.14)
3 medium onions (48p)
25g fresh lemon thyme (68p)
900g of white potatoes (£1)

The cupboard staples...

Salt and pepper, 1 beef stock cube and a little flour.

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Tesco, where it came to just £4.30 (cheapest yet!).

Instructions

Now I know this is traditionally made with lamb. But lamb is expensive so I've given this British classic a frugal twist!
Get the oven pre-heated to 170C.
Now take the beef and trim off any excess fat and slice into strips or chunks (you choose!). Once this is done, add some oil to a heavy bottomed pan and get it really hot (almost smoking). Toss the beef in a little seasoned flour and fry off in the pan for 2 minutes. You want a really good colour on the beef. Remove from the pan and set to one side.
Now take the potatoes and cut into 2cm slices, thinly slice the onions and finely chop the thyme.
Next up is assembling the dish. Take a hotpot dish (3 litres) and start with about a quarter of the beef at the bottom, then a layer of onions, a layer of potatoes and a sprinkle of thyme. Season each layer with black pepper and salt and repeat until all the ingredients have been used.
Finally pour over roughly 700ml of boiling beef stock. It may take a little more or a little less. You want the stock to just touch the layer of potatoes at the top.
Loosely cover with foil and place in the oven for 2 hours at 170C. For the final 20 minutes brush a little butter on the top and place back in the oven at 220C.
Happy eating!

A bit about our Chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Saturday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other 'Feed five for under a fiver' recipes: Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt | Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne | Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot