Beef Stew with peppercorns and cheddar dumplings. And chocolate cake.

I've been on a quest to cook a beef stew for Himself, with meat that wasn't chewy, and this one worked really nicely. It's taken from the November issue of Olive Magazine (website here) (Thanks Lulu Grimes!). My impatience has previously been the problem, I expect, as it cooked for about 4 hours on a low heat, and the beef really was melty.

A sprinkling of black peppercorns and balsamic vinegar give this an extra flavour boost.

Melty beef, cheesy dumplings, and Guinness graaaavy!

Coincidentally, the same issue also has this delicious Chocolate Victoria, by Annie Bell. I don't work for Olive, honestly! (But maybe one day...)

Classic Tearoom Chocolate Victoria

Himself, he who doesn't 'do' cake, liked it. Liked it a lot.