Beef Stew With Newcastle Brown Ale And Dumplings

Season the beef, sprinkle with the flour and toss around until well coated. Heat up a frying pan until it is good and hot, add a little olive oil and fry the beef in 2 batches until nice and brown.

Transfer the meat to a big casserole -- one that is suitable to go on a stovetop burner -- mixing in the flour that was left on the plate after coating it.

Put the casserole on a medium heat, add the onions and pancetta, and cook until the onions are translucent and the pancetta has a bit of color. Add your celery and rosemary.

Now you can pour in your ale and the water, adding your parsnips, carrots and potatoes. (Feel free to add whatever veg you like at this stage.) Bring to the boil, put a lid on, turn down the heat and leave it to simmer while you make the dumplings.

Blitz the dumpling ingredients in a blender or rub between your fingers till you have a breadcrumb consistency, then add just enough water to make a dough that isn't sticky.

Divide it into ping-pong ball-sized dumplings and put these into the stew, dunking them under. Put the lid back on and leave it to cook for 2 hours.

Taste it, season it as you like, and then serve the stew with some greens and loads of bread to mop up the juices.