The Pelican

The festive season is made for decadent comfort food. Spend a leisurely afternoon recreating this west London pub's rich winter menu

- OWEN KENWORTHY

Mince on toast

SERVES 6 AS A STARTER PREP 30 MINS COOK 1 HR 35 MINS | EASY

• 50g beef dripping, plus extra for the toast
• 3-4 onions (about 400g), finely diced
• 500g beef mince (15-20% fat)
• 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 300ml red wine
• 500ml good-quality beef stock
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 4 small slices of sourdough
• 60g mature cheddar

1 Put the beef dripping in a large, wide frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, cook the onions over a low heat for 18-20 mins or until soft and lightly caramelised.

2 Remove the onions, leaving as much of the fat in the pan as possible. Add the beef, gently frying for 10-12 mins and stirring only occasionally, until there's no moisture and the meat is brown. Return the onions and add the garlic along with the tomato purée, frying for a further 2 mins, then add the wine, increasing to a medium-high heat and reducing until there is almost no liquid left. Add the stock with the thyme, bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 55-60 mins or until the meat is velvety.

3 Toast the sourdough, brush with the remaining melted dripping, and serve heaped with the mince and cheddar grated on top.

PER SERVING 467 kcals | fat 28.6G saturates 14.7G | carbs 17.8G | sugars 5.2G fibre 3G protein 23.2G | salt 1.1G

Turkey, leek and bacon pie

This is great way to use left-over turkey leg from Christmas dinner. You could also use turkey or chicken thighs.

SERVES 6-8 PREP 30 MINS COOK 1 HR 15 MINS | EASY