I’m writing this article shortly after a Labour minister questioned if the image of country pubs with warm ale and black labradors was right-wing nostalgia, and if they had ever really existed. This seemed to be an unusual commentary from an MP from rural Suffolk and what’s more the minister responsible for countryside communities. Now, I don’t have the space to list all of the reasons why pubs in rural communities are just so important, nor how for many people low ceilings, flagstone floors, a good selection of cask beer and a slobbering dog or two is exactly what they look for in a country pub. I know I do, although I draw the line at Morris dancers.
Unfortunately for Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, the MP in question, she had pictures on her social media of a nice black labrador stretched out in front of a roaring pub fire with the caption “this is what Sunday breaktime looks like”. I don’t really think you can have it both ways, minister. And she is not alone, this Sunday, like every other, thousands of customers will partake in that most English of dining rituals a pint and a fine Sunday roast. Now, we can argue what is the best Sunday lunch. Is it a perfect roast chicken with a crispy skin and stuffing or succulent pork with crunchy, salty, crackling and apple sauce. But for many I suspect it is the traditional beef with piles of roast potatoes on the side and a giant Yorkshire pudding. Which in a rather roundabout way brings me to a recipe I have wanted to post since starting on this column. The pot roast.
It feels almost sacrilegious talking about a staple of American home-cooking in the same piece as waxing lyrical about the Sunday roast but please bear with me, I’ve not quite lost my marbles. Now, if you like your beef just one degree away from still walking this dish is not going to be for you, but the pot roast is a great way to slow cook a less tender cut until it is mouth-wateringly tender. Gently poaching in stock, wine or beer also adds flavour and helps reduce the joint shrinking. You can also add all your vegetables to the cooking vessel and save on a lot of washing up. Finally, if you have a slow cooker, you can pop it on in the morning and come home to a delicious meal.
At this time of year my preferred tipple is a darker English beer which compliments the beef perfectly and one of my favourites comes from JW Lees in Manchester, a brewery I’ve not profiled before. Founded in 1828, it is now in the hands of the seventh generation of the founding family and employs more than 1,500 people in its brewery, pubs and the famous Alderley Edge Hotel. Last year it started brewing Boddingtons cask under licence. Its mahogany-coloured Dark Ale (4.5 per cent ABV) is perfect if you like a pint with lots of brown bread, malty overtones and more than a touch of sweetness. It is smooth to drink with hints of Christmas fruits, chocolate and liquorice. Great to flavour the pot roasts and to have a pint or two with the finished dish.
Beef and Beer Pot Roast
1.5kg beef brisket, boned and rolled
500g small potatoes, peeled
2 onions, peeled and quartered
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 celery sticks, washed and cut into five-centimetre pieces
200gr button mushrooms, wiped and cut in half
500ml JW Lees Dark Ale
500ml beef stock
2tbs plain flour
1tbs tomato puree
Splash olive oil
½tsp fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Preheat your oven to 375F/190C/Gas mark 5. Heat some oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan and brown the beef joint all over. Place in a deep-sided casserole.
Add a little more oil and the onion. Carrots and celery and cook until the onions start to soften. Sprinkle with the flour, add the tomato puree, stir, then pour in the beer. Transfer to the casserole and add the mushrooms, herbs, and stock.
Fit the casserole lid and place in the oven for one hour then carefully remove and take off the lid. Add the potatoes, stir and put the lid back on.
Return to the oven and reduce the heat to 325F/160C/Gas Mark 3 for another hour or until the potatoes are cooked.
Remove from the oven and remove the beef and vegetables to a serving dish and cover with foil and a tea towel to keep warm. Reduce the cooking liquid and season before serving with the beef and some of last month’s beer mustard.
