The best shepherds pie

Shepherds pie is my ultimate comfort food, my children adore it and it is a brilliant make-ahead meal when you have people coming over for dinner. It pains me to see how many awful shepherds pie recipe are out there so let me show you how to start making it properly. Every family has their own version; this is my Mum’s that I’ve tinkered with a little.

Don’t let the length of the recipe turn you off. Having taught this recipe in my cooking classes  multiple times, I’ve learned all the questions people have, and the misconceptions and fears they have. So I address those in my recipe, I hope it feels like I’m there with you and leaving no nervousness about how to make it.

Shepherds pie is traditionally made with leftover meat from the sunday roast with a creamy mashed potato topping. Nowadays most people cook it with minced raw meat as fewer of us are in the habit of being as thrifty with our leftovers – I also think we’re probably greedier with our roast dinners so less is left! You can make this with beef (in which case it will be called cottage pie), pork or turkey, and you can switch the mashed potato for a cauliflower mash on top if you are watching carbs.