THE Willet Arms in Oakley, Wimborne recently ran a competition inviting punters to design a dish to appear on the pub’s winter menu.

After carefully considering all the entrants, Valerie Sweetlove was crowned the winner with her recipe for beef bourgignon cottage pie.

Punters have been enjoying the dish, cooked by head chef, Dean Handley, and now Taste readers can recreate the winning dish at home as the pub have kindly shared her recipe.

“I’m thrilled to have my recipe selected,” says Valerie.

“The chef has taken what was already one of my favourite dishes and made it even better.

“I am so pleased that other people will get to enjoy it.”

Beef Bourgignon Cottage Pie

1 tbsp truffle oil

1 pack of pancetta

Beef fillets cut into chunks

2/3 bottle of red wine (reduced)

½ pint beef stock

1-2 tbsp cornflour

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp demerara sugar

250g button mushrooms

250g pearl onions

For the topping:

1kg medium flour potatoes

½ celeriac

Butter

Milk

Fry the pancetta over a high heat and the set aside. Cook the beef and add all the remaining ingredients, except the cornflour and pancetta, and bring to a simmer. Partially cover the pan and continue to cook for a further 2-2½ hrs until the beef is tender.

Once cooked, tip everything into a colander set over another pan so you can catch the sauce.

Tip the contents of the colander into a large pie dish. Thicken the sauce with the loosened cornflour.

Spoon enough sauce over the beef to cover it.

Boil the potatoes until tender, and cook the celeriac. Add butter and milk a little at a time while mashing. Season.

Spoon and spread the celeriac mash on top of the beef. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and bake for 50 mins.