Alastair Hendy's Beef and Ketchup Pie

These hearty numbers will be a hit with young and old alike.

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   1. Season the beef and toss in the flour to coat. In a large pan fry the beef in batches in 2 tbsp lard or oil until browned all over, then remove and set aside. Fry the onions in the same pan until browned, adding more oil or lard if needed. Return the meat to the pan, then add the thyme and enough water to just cover. Gently simmer for 1 hour, partly covered, until the beef is tender and the liquid reduced. Stir in the worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup and check the seasoning.
   2. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/325F/gas 5. Roll out the pastry (see note below), line the pie tins and cut out pastry lids to fit, re-rolling the dough if necessary.
   3. Spoon the meat and its onion gravy into the lined pie tins. Top with the pastry lids, seal the edges by gently pressing together and trim off any overhang. Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with extra ketchup if you wish.
   
   
   ALTERNATIVELY, FOR 1 LARGE PIE
   
   1. Use a 1 litre capacity pie dish and 1 x 375g pack shortcrust pastry or 1 quantity home-made pie crust for a lid only. Spoon the meat mixture directly into the dish. Roll out and put on a pastry lid. Brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes.
   2. Optionally, if using a pie dish with a rim, cut a narrow strip of pastry to fit all around the edge. Glue on by brushing the rim of the dish first with beaten egg. Then brush the strip with more egg before pressing on the pastry lid. This helps anchor the pie lid to the dish.