As autumn hands over to winter, the beauty of stew is that it is versatile and involves virtually no last-minute effort. It is economical enough for every day, but with careful presentation it can make an elegant dinner party dish as well.
This braise is the ideal solution when you want to cook something comforting for cold weather but don’t have stock in the freezer and don’t feel up to opening a bottle of wine for cooking. It uses half a pint (bottle or can) of Guinness – any stout, porter or dark ale will do just as well – which leaves half a pint for the cook. Towards the end of the cooking time, a little cider vinegar is added to liven up the flavour.
