Beef Stew and Dawns Mums Dumplings

This is a homely recipe, I love eating it in winter, especially if I put it in the oven before I go out and its ready when I come in from the cold. It reminds me of my mum.

1. 1

   Put some oil in an iron or glass caserole dish, make sure it has a snug lid.
   Brown the meat in the oil dust it with flour season with salt and pepper first.
   Add the carrots and onions.
   Add the mushrooms
   Pour in the beef oxo stock, add the bay leaves
   put in a dash of worcester sauce and Brown sauce.
   Cook in the oven at about 160-180 for about 3 hours.
   Then to make the dumplings.
   Sieve self raising flour into a bowl.
   Add about the suet. This should be in a ratio of 1 part suet to 3 parts flour.
   Season with salt and pepper
   Add water and mix the flour and suet together until it makes a ball that is not sticky.
   You will prob need more flour to dust the side and the ball of suet as you seperate into small balls.
   Lift out the stew and then put the dumplings on the top of the stew. Leave the lid off and put back into the oven turn up to about 200 and cook for about 30 mins.
   It is done when the dumplings have grown and are lovely and brown.
   I eat it with crusty bread roast potatoes and cabbage.