Autumn is slowly approaching which means many people will be cooking their favourite comfort recipes to warm themselves up, and there is nothing better than a big bowl of stew.

Nadiya Hussain, a cooking legend best known for winning the Great British Bake Off, has shared her simple recipe to make beef stew with dumplings.

In her cookbook 'Cook Once, Eat Twice' Nadiya wrote: “Beef stew is one of my sons’ absolute favourites. There is something about a beef stew that fills a hole in your tummy that nothing else does.

“It’s heart-filling and warming. I love making these with dumplings, so it’s a meal in one, with no other fuss.”

It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare this hearty stew as everything is cooked in one pan, then all you have to do is let it slowly cook away until the beef is tender and mouthwatering.

Method 

To make the stew:

Pour the oil into a large pan with a lid, and once the oil is hot add the chopped onions, lemon thyme and salt then cook till golden brown.

Nadiya said: “If the onions get stuck to the base, don’t worry, this will add flavour – just add a splash of water to unstick.”

Add the garlic paste, chopped carrots and beef chunks into the pan and cook until the meat has browned.

Season with black pepper and paprika, then pour the water into the pan.

Give the stew mixture a good mix and place it on a low heat to cook for 45 minutes with the lid on.

To make the dumplings:

Meanwhile, make the dumplings by adding the flour, butter, and salt into a bowl.

Rub the water with your fingertips until there are no lumps in the mixture left, then pour water into the mixture to make it into a dough.

Divide the dough into eight parts, roll them out into balls and brush the top with the egg.

Assemble the stew:

Once the time is up, remove the lid, stir in the gravy granules and lower the heat.

Add the dumplings to the top of the stew, place the lid back on and cook on the lowest setting for 25 minutes.

Once ready, remove the stew from the heat, take out the thyme stalks and your tasty stew is ready to serve.