A pairing that dates back to Victorian times, Beef and Oyster make the perfect marriage of land and sea.
To celebrate this age-old combination, join us at our monthly Beef & Oyster Club, taking place on the first Sunday of every month, where Chef Nick serves up a menu that would blow the socks off any Victorian time traveller to taste it. Starting with a selection of seasonal oysters, journey through a four-course meal with a stunning cut of Hereford Beef at the centre. A date for your diary that is not to be missed!
In the meantime, we’ve asked Chef Corrigan to show us his take on a more traditional recipe – a Beef and Oyster Pie. This dish was traditionally a dish for the poorest of the nation – the less money they had, the more oysters the pie contained! Dive into Chef Corrigan’s Beef and Oyster Pie below.
You can make this up the day before, if you like, and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. Sometimes instead of covering the pie in pastry, we can use a potato lid with 1kg of floury potatoes. Towards the end of the beef cooking time, peel the potatoes and cook in boiling salted water until tender. Drain in a colander to rid them of excess moisture, mash and season with butter, salt and pepper. Pipe or spoon the potato over the pie, and go over with a fork to create small peaks to go golden. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons or fresh breadcrumbs and parmesan and bake for half an hour.
Beef & Oyster Pie Recipe
Serves 8
8 Rock Oysters
500g Braising Beef (flank, blade of chuck)
1 x 330ml Bottle of Guinness or Oyster Stout
A little vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
A few sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon of flour
500g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
- Shuck the oysters and reserve the liquor. Only use rock oysters for this dish, to use Natives here instead of slurping them raw would be a terrible shame!
- Trim the beef of excess fat and gristle, and cut into cubes. Pour the stout over and allow to marinate for 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees/gas 3. Remove the meat from the marinate (keep this to one side), pat dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat a little vegetable oil in a large flameproof casserole and reserve. Add the vegetables, garlic and thyme and cook until the vegetables are golden. Return the beef to the pan, sprinkle with flour and stir well.
- Pour the marinade over the beef and vegetables, and bring to the boil. Add the oyster liquor and enough water to cover.
- Put the lid on the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook for 2-3 hours, until the beef is meltingly tender. Allow to cool and set, so that when you lay the oysters on top they won’t fall through too much.
- Meanwhile, roll out the pastry into a shape large enough to cover the top of your casserole and overhang slightly.
- Turn the oven temperature up to 180/gas 4. Lay the oysters on top of the beef.
- Moisten the edges with water, drape the pastry over the top, seal the edges and brush with beaten egg. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, until golden brown.