Now here's a beef stew that is delicious and trouble-free. Thanks to the sainted Elizabeth David.

For four people. You need two pounds of top rump cut into half-inch thick slices about as big as your palm, 100 g streaky bacon or pancetta, two tomatoes sliced, two carrots cut into rounds, two onions roughly chopped, a few garlic cloves smashed with your fist (NOT crushed), extra virgin olive oil, a glass of red wine and seasoning. If you have some pork rinds, the kind of thing you might trim from pork chops, that's great, otherwise have a couple of rashers of really fatty bacon to hand. Finally, you need a goodly bunch of fresh herbs tied with string. Thyme, parsley, sage, bayleaf sort of thang.

Once you've assembled that lot, the method is ridiculously easy. Everything just goes in cold.

Put a good glug of olive oil into your heaviest casserole. Chop the bacon and throw it in. Put the carrots, onion and tomatoes on top of that. Put in the bunch of herbs and the smashed garlic. Layer the pieces of beef carefully on top. Season well then put the pan on to medium heat for about fifteen minutes. While you're waiting, do the fun bit. Put the red wine into a small pan, bring to the boil and set fire to the alcohol vapour. Watch your eyebrows. As soon as the flame goes out, pour the wine all over the meat.

Cover tightly (foil under a lid), put into the oven at 160C for two and a half hours and forget it. Beautiful with mash and greens. Boeuf en daube as in rustic France. The recipe also includes thin slivers of orange zest, but I don't like that so I always leave it out.