Sussex Relocation Stew

Name: Sussex Relocation Stew
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 800 g beef stew meat, cubed; 2 large red onions, halved and sliced; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 3 tbsp flour; 500 ml beef stock; 3 tbsp hot English mustard; 4 large floury potatoes (about 800 g), peeled and chopped; 50 ml milk; 30 g butter; 8 medium pickles; 2 tbsp white wine vinegar; 2 tbsp sunflower oil; salt and pepper

Based on:

TypeMain course

Serves4 people

DateAugust 20, 2026

Stew as a moving box, with pickle suitcases and a sharp streak of mustard sauce.

A tangy beef stew shaped like a British moving box, topped with mashed potato 'lid' and a jagged streak of mustard sauce. Four pickle slices represent suitcases: the family on the move to their new home.

Ingredients

800 g beef stew meat, cubed
2 large red onions, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp flour
500 ml beef stock
3 tbsp hot English mustard
4 large floury potatoes (about 800 g), peeled and chopped
50 ml milk
30 g butter
8 medium pickles
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp sunflower oil
salt and pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.
Season beef with salt, pepper, and flour. Heat oil in a Dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides.
Add red onion and garlic, sauté for 3 minutes.
Deglaze with stock, add 2 tbsp mustard, and simmer gently for 2 hours with the lid ajar.
Meanwhile, boil potatoes for 20 minutes until tender. Drain, mash with milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Slice 4 pickles lengthwise into thick strips (the suitcases). Dice the other 4 pickles and mix with vinegar.
Spoon the stew into a square oven dish (moving box shape). Top with mashed potatoes, smooth out. On one side, make a 'tear' with a spoon and fill with a spoonful of mustard sauce.
Arrange the pickle strips as suitcases on top of the mash, two on each side.
Bake for 20 minutes until the mash is lightly golden.

Serving notes

Serve in the dish so the moving box shape remains visible.
Offer extra mustard sauce for those who like even more tang.