Mum’s Lancashire Hot Pot
– Serves 4

Ingredients:
For hot pot base:
1 lb scrag end (neck) of lamb or beef shin/skirt chopped into squares
5-6 big cooking potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds (optional)
2 onions, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
1 pint of meat stock, option – mix in½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

For Pastry Crust:
Use your favorite short crust pastry recipe making enough to cover the top of the pot as a crust (and maybe a little extra for more dipping.)

Need:
Casserole dish with capacity of 4 pints/2.5 litres

Method:
Preheat oven to gas mark 4 / 350F / 180C
Trim excess fat off meat and cut into squares.
Layer the prepared ingredients in the casserole pot – potatoes, meat, carrots, onions, repeat 2 or 3 times.
Pour stock/sauce over and add salt/pepper to season.
Cover with lid and cook for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, turn to lower heat ( gas mark 2/ 300F/ 150C) and cook for a further 2-3 hours. Check occasionally to see it isn’t drying out – you want it moist enough to cook but not too watery.
20 mins before you want to serve, remove lid and add pastry crust.
Serve warm with pickled red cabbage, beetroot or onions. (We have HP sauce on the side too!)
Extra crust can be cooked alongside on an oven tray. Let your kids make their favourite shapes for extra enjoyment!