Wild Beef Hot Pot

There's a reason hot pot has never gone out of fashion. It's the dish you make when you want the house to smell like something all afternoon and the cooking to look after itself. Make it on a Sunday, eat it twice.

500g Bush Beef mince

2 tbsp olive oil (Bush Beef is very lean, so you'll want a little extra fat in the pan)

1 brown onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 carrots, cut into chunks

250g button mushrooms, halved

2 tbsp tomato paste

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

250ml beef stock

1 tsp ground bush tomato

½ tsp ground native pepperberry (or cracked black pepper)

1 bay leaf

Sea salt, to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the mince and brown it in batches, breaking it up as you go. Bush Beef is around 95CL, so it browns quickly and releases liquid faster than standard mince. Don't crowd the pan, and don't overwork it. Once browned, set aside.

Drop the heat to medium. Cook the onion and garlic until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes until they start to colour.

Stir through the tomato paste and cook for a minute, then return the beef to the pot with the chopped tomatoes, stock, bush tomato, pepperberry and bay leaf.

Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook low for 30 to 35 minutes until the carrots are tender and the sauce has thickened. Season with sea salt to taste.

Serve with mash, crusty bread or rice. Even better reheated the next day.

because Bush Beef is so lean, keep the heat gentle once everything's in the pot. Long and slow is what builds the flavour, not high heat.