“In a big old cast iron pot hit the heat up pretty high on the hob or a bbq (but that’s pushing the boat out).
“Roll the ox cheeks in the seasoned flour, then pat off any excess. Chuck the butter into the pot with a little oil, add the meat – it should sound like a good sizzle. Cook, turning, until well browned all over. (You may need to do this in batches.) Take care not to burn the butter.
“Remove the meat and set aside. Add the lardons or trim and fry until lightly coloured. Add the veg, bay leaves, herbs and spices and cook for 15 minutes until the veg is just soft. Make sure the heat is low. Stir in the garlic, then the tomato purée. Stir occasionally until the purée starts to catch the bottom of the pan, then cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
“Add the wine and stock then return the meat to the dish, Bring the stew to barely a simmer, then cover and put in the oven. Cook for 6/7 hours, or until the cheeks are tender when prodded with a cutlery knife. Turn the cheeks occasionally during the cooking time.
“Once cooked leave to rest, dice up all your offal pretty fine and gently fold through. The temperature of the stew will slowly poach the offal and won’t over cook it.
“Stir through the salt, then serve with mash and veg, if you like. Personally I love a dumpling: use the recipe on the packet it’s fool proof.”