In the debut episode of her celebratory BBC series, Mary at 90: A Lifetime of Cooking, the nation's beloved cook Mary Berry unveiled her ingenious take on a beloved British classic: cottage pie.
The Secret Twist in the Topping
While the dish features a rich, slow-braised beef filling enhanced with smoked streaky bacon and red wine, the true revelation lies in the mash. Berry's recipe cleverly incorporates 350g of cauliflower florets boiled with the potatoes. This creates a creamy, flavourful topping that is both a comforting twist and a subtle way to add an extra portion of vegetables.
The culinary legend described her creation as a "hearty beef stew" topped with this inventive mash, labelling it the perfect dish for batch cooking or a weekend family feast. The recipe, designed for a 1.75-litre ovenproof dish, generously serves six to eight people.
How to Assemble Mary Berry's Comforting Pie
The method, shared via the Express, begins by searing 1kg of diced braising beef until beautifully browned. In the same pan, bacon and onions are fried before adding garlic, mushrooms, and tomato purée.
A sauce is then made by blending flour with 175ml of red wine and adding it to the pan along with beef stock, redcurrant jelly, and bay leaves. The seared beef is returned to the pot, which is then covered and slow-cooked in an oven preheated to 160C (140C fan) for up to two hours until the meat is tender.
For the signature topping, 1kg of floury potatoes and the cauliflower are boiled until soft, drained, and mashed with milk, butter, and seasoning. This mixture is piled onto the beef filling in its dish, raked with a fork, and sprinkled with 100g of mature Cheddar cheese.
The Final Golden Bake
The assembled pie goes into a hot oven at 200C (180C fan) for 40 to 45 minutes. It's ready when the cheesy potato and cauliflower topping is golden and bubbling irresistibly. Mary Berry recommends serving it piping hot with a side of steamed vegetables for a complete, satisfying meal.
This recipe, pulled straight from her latest culinary collection, proves that even at 90, Mary Berry's talent for reinventing comfort food with simple, effective tweaks remains utterly unmatched.
