Your recipe for a good cottage pie

I always add a teaspoon of marmite and a dash of Lea and Perrins

I make mine from a joint of beef or a piece of beef skirt, mince it myself - then you know what is in it.

I am amazed at all the variations but am going to try different ones until I find the one we like best.I may start leaving out the onion, as I don't really like it anyway.

Kittylester... What a posh cottage pie. Will definitely try your recipe.

My favourite recipe for cottage pie as follows,
In a saucepan:
Brown mince and onion.
Add chopped carrots and a couple of celery sticks also chopped.
Mix oxo cube or beef stock cube with water and add to pan.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
While mince is cooking, prepare and boil potatoes until ready to mash.
Mash with milk and butter
Add 1 tablespoon of redcurrants jelly to the mince.
Thicken with cornflour as necessary.
Put mince mixture into a casserole dish and top with potato.
Sprinkle with grated cheese if desired and bake for 25 minutes at 190°c or until golden brown and bubbling.
Enjoy.

As for corned beef hash:
Fry onion in butter,
Add 1 can chopped corned beef and mix quickly together,
Tip int pan of boiled potatoes and mash together.
Add more butter if you like.
Serve with baked beans or vegetables of your choice, and lashings of tomato ketchup.

This was a favourite of my children when they were young.

We do corned beef hash but with chorizo and adding a little smoked paprika. Top with fruedegg and serve with tommy sauce.

Worcester sauce and tomato ketchup are both vital ingredients in mine

A few slices of bacon.chopped and gently fried ,add flavour.

Hannibal Lecter version... Take one Shepherd... ;-)

Meant to say on my post above - I worked in a University and the cottage pie served in one of the refectories was the best I'd tasted. So I asked the manager/cook what her secret was. She said 'Don't bother with stock cubes - use oxtail soup. That's what gives it the lovely flavour'. I've never used anything else since. She also used chicken soup in her chicken pies instead of normal stock cubes. I now do this also. It really does make a world of difference to the flavour!

Celery, carrot and mushrooms added once it's simmering, all chopped very small to blend in. I don't use tomatoes but might add a chopped squashy one to use it up, or just a dash of ketchup.
A dash of Worcester sauce and a good beef stock cube.
Lots of good mash, with a little butter and milk, grated cheese on top and finish under the grill.

Whatever I do I certainly wouldn't add anchovies, a la Sainburies advert Little twists! The picture of the dripping anchovy makes me heave! Anyone tried it?

they all sound yummy, try crushed crisps on top of potato

I've used anchovies as per my recipe above! I would only add them if I have a few left over from something else. Anchovies, once one gets over the initial yuk, are really useful for adding flavour to lots of things. They disappear completely on cooking and are not fishy at all.

They are particularly good inserted into a slit in the fat of a lamb joint together with a sprig of rosemary and a sliver of garlic.

This is my recipe: Chop large onion, 1-2 leeks, 3 sticks celery and a red pepper finely - cook gently in a tablespoon of oil until soft. Add a pound of mince and brown. Sprinkle with a squashed oxo cube, add about 2 heaped tablespoons of tomato puree, a teaspoon of garlic powder and salt & pepper. Mix well, then add a quarter of a pint of boiling water. Bring to boil and simmer for about an hour, stirring twice. Meanwhile, boil sliced carrots for 10 mins and drain.
Put meat mixture into dish (serves 4, so I make 2 smaller ones) and top with carrot rings.
At this point, you can freeze the mixture so that it's quick and easy to finish off another day I freeze one pie, and use the other either the day I make it, or the next day (cooling it and putting into the fridge overnight.) TIP: it's MUCH easier to spread mash on top of cold filling..!
Make mashed potatoes, spread on top of filling. Cook 30 - 45 mins until browned.

I add a few chopped chicken livers to the beef in my cottage pie, delicious. Also mixing a small amount of stuffing mix to the mashed potato topping makes a lovely savoury addition!

when i'm making mashed potatoes I BAKE the potatoes and scrape the insides out and mash with plenty of butter and milk [or use an egg yolk for really lovely mash].

cottage pie or shepherds pie starts with minced beef or lamb which is fried off with onions. then [good old colman's] a cottage pie mix or shepherds pie mix.

however I don't forget the Worcestershire sauce - grave sin to do that.

top it with the mashed baked potato and pop into the oven to brown. accompanied with vegetables of choice.

my oldest granddaughter's favourite meal.

I am making one tomorrow, DH has vetoed any celery or mushrooms in it ( pity ) but I will try one of the other recipes and leave out the onion.I make enough for two days ( when you are busy it's great to know the meal is already there.)

I forgot the dash of Worcestershire sauce.
But no mushrooms, tomatoes or celery.

Mushrooms and tomatoes, sometimes bacon, oregano and all the rest go in to make bolognaise sauce.

I must buy some Worcestershire sauce, how Have I lived without it all these years?

Could some of you kind people also tell your recipes for chilli con carne?

I very rarely make it but put some dark chocolate in last time!

Ah greyduster I sometimes add the condensed mush soup too!

Everyone I've served it to has thought it really nice.