Feed five for under a fiver...

Check out this original recipe for beef, mushroom and thyme pie - and feed five people for less than a fiver!

Recipe #5: Beef, mushroom and thyme pie

430g of stewing beef (£2.14)
2 medium red onions (42p)
1 pack (25g) of fresh thyme (68p)
1 bulb of garlic (31p)
500g of Jus roll pastry (79p)
3 medium carrots (27p)
140g of mushrooms (32p)

The cupboard staples

Pepper, salt, oil, flour and 2 pints of beef stock and a splash of red wine - if you have a bottle in the house already!

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 £4.93.

Instructions

Slice the beef into strips, season with salt and black pepper and coat with five tablespoons of flour. Then get a pan very hot, add some oil and fry the beef off until brown all over. Remove the beef from the pan and place in a large shallow ovenproof dish. Keep the pan on a low heat.
Finely slice the garlic, onions and mushrooms and roughly chop the carrots into 1.5cm cubes, turn the heat up on the pan and fry off the vegetables until slightly browned. We're looking for colour and a slight caramelisation; once this has been achieved add the vegetables to the oven dish.
Next up is to finely chop the thyme and prepare the beef stock. Once the beef stock is prepared add it to the pan and let it reduce down over a high heat for a few minutes (making sure you scrap all the bits off the bottom of the pan as if you were making gravy). Finally, add the chopped thyme and pour over the beef and vegetables in the oven dish. Place the oven dish (covered with foil or a lid) in the oven at 150C for an hour. This ensures the beef gets nice and tender. Tip: if you have some red wine, add this to the pan before the beef stock.
After an hour, check the beef is tender. If it is, remove it from the oven and let the mixture chill for a good 30 minutes (or the pastry will become a disaster!).
Grab the pastry and roll out on a floured surface to about 0.5cm thick (amend thickness according to the size of your dish). Roll the pastry out over the dish - I prefer to tuck the pastry in a little so nothing overhangs. Brush with milk and make a small hole to let steam escape in the middle.
Put back into the oven at 190C for 30 minutes or until the pastry has risen and has a nice golden brown colour to it.
Enjoy!

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 origifnal, 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!" MDW1954

"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: Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne | Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot