I do Mary Berry's version of cottage pie. Make the meat mix as usual, though my take on it requires starting with a soffritto of onions, carrots and celery, not TOO finely chopped. When the veg has softened I scoop it out of the pan which I then use to brown the mince. Next, in goes a scant tablespoon of plain flour. Once that's done the veg goes back in and it gets a small glass of red wine, some beef stock made with a cube, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and seasoning (plenty of salt). Simmer that for an hour and keep an eye on the liquid level.

The big difference is the spuds. It uses a topping of salad or new potatoes, boiled in their skins in salted water until tender. Drain the spuds, add two tablespoons of EV olive oil some salt and pepper and break them up very roughly with a fork. That's your topping. Bake the whole thing for 25 minutes until the spuds are going brown and a bit crispy.