Kirstie's Handmade Britain

This festive roast beef by James Mackenzie on Kirstie's Home for Christmas is served with bubble and squeak cakes and mulled wine onion gravy

Serves 8-10

• 1 x 5kg rib of beef
• 4 tbsp English mustard
• 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 4 carrots, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 leek, washed and roughly chopped

For the bubble and squeak cakes

• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• Rapeseed oil
• Handful of curly kale, shredded
• 300g cooked sprouts, sliced
• 100g bacon lardons, fried until crisp
• 200g cooked chestnuts
• 1kg dry mashed potato
• 6 leaves of fresh sage
• Plain flour for shaping the cakes
• 100g butter

For the mulled wine onion gravy

• 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
• 4 glasses mulled wine
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 litre beef stock
• 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 2½. Clean the bones on the rib of beef. Sear the rib until golden brown on all sides in a hot roasting tray with a little rapeseed oil.

2. Remove the meat from the tray and place all of the chopped carrot, onion, leek and celery in a large roasting tray. Mix all three mustards in a bowl and rub the mustard all over the meat. Cover the exposed rib bones with foil.

3. Place the rib of beef onto the vegetables, cover the whole tray with foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue to roast for a further 90 minutes.

4. For the bubble and squeak cakes, cook the onion in a frying pan with a little rapeseed oil for about 10 minutes until translucent. Then add the sprouts and kale to the pan with the chestnuts and bacon cook for a further 2 minutes.

5. Leave the mix to cool and then add to the dry mash along with the chopped sage. Mould into little cakes and dust with a little flour. Place the cakes in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes. To cook the cakes fry in a large frying pan in a little hot rapeseed oil and butter.

6. For the gravy, place the sliced onion in a large saucepan over a high heat and add half the mulled wine. Bring to the boil then simmer the onions for 30 minutes.

7. When the beef is cooked remove the rib from the tray and rest for 30 minutes.

8. Carefully pour off any excess fat and place the tray with the cooked vegetables onto the heat. Add the flour, cook for 2 minutes then add the remaining mulled wine and beef stock. Stir to remove any roasting bits off the tray, bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Strain the gravy through a sieve into the cooked onion and mulled wine, pushing out all the flavour from the vegetables. Stir in the redcurrant jelly, check the seasoning and serve with the beef and bubble and squeak cakes.

Recipe by James MacKenzie of the Pipe and Glass Inn