A comforting beef pie makes a lovely date night dish. This casserole makes enough for 4 so either freeze the rest for another date night or change the pastry shape and make it for a family celebration.

Serves 4.

600g beef, any fat removed and cut into cubes
Cooking spray
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Bunch of fresh thyme (save some for sprinkling over at the end)
1 tbsp plain flour
1/2 small butternut squash , peeled and seeded, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 medium carrots, thickly sliced
250ml beer
600ml beef stock
150g pearl barley
Seasoning

1 package of ready rolled ‘Light’ puff pastry
A little milk for brushing

Spray a deep sided pan with cooking spray and in batches, brown the beef on all sides, remove from the pan and set aside.

Spray the pan again and add the onion and cook until softened, add the garlic, thyme and a grind of sea salt and pepper, cook for another minute until the garlic is fragrant. Add the butternut squash and carrot and 1 tbsp of plain flour and stir through to combine.

Slowly add the beer and beefstock and the pearl barley, stir through and bring to the boil.

At this point heat the oven to 200°C

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 45-50 minutes until the pearl barley is cooked through and the vegetables are lovely and soft.

15 minutes from the end of cooking unroll your pastry and cut into heart shapes and put on a grease proof lined backing tray. Brush the hearts with milk and cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Plate up the beef, serve with mashed potatoes and vegetables, a sprinkling of thyme and your Sweetheart Pastry tops.