Merthyr pie

Method

1. Heat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1. Put the beef shin in a lidded ovenproof casserole with the vegetables and herbs. Pour over water until it comes three quarters of the way up the dish. Cut out a piece of baking paper to sit snugly on top of the beef and liquid, then put on the lid.
2. Put in the oven and cook for about 5 hours until the meat falls apart when tested with a fork. When cooked, remove the beef and veg from the cooking liquid, set aside and allow to cool. Bubble the liquid on the hob to reduce by one third, then reserve.
3. Meanwhile, for the bread and cheese layers, heat a third of the dripping (see tip) in a large frying pan and fry a few slices of the bread for a couple of minutes each side until golden, but not fried all the way through. Repeat with the remaining dripping and bread.
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5. Spread the fried bread with the mustard. Roughly flake the beef shin, discarding the bone if there is one. Chop the cooked vegetables and squeeze the garlic out of its skin. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
6. Start constructing the pie. Put a third of the fried bread in the bottom of the dish, sprinkle with a third of the cheese, then add half the beef, chopped veg and garlic. Season well and repeat the process, then finish with a final layer of bread and cheese. There should be 3 bread and cheese layers and 2 beef layers.
7. Gently pour over 200-250ml of the reserved stock (the bread should be nicely wet without drowning) and bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. Serve with seasonal veg.