Prepare the Meat:

At least 30 minutes before cooking, remove the defrosted meat from its packaging and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Allow the meat to come to room temperature.
Pre-heat the oven to 140 C°-160 C°/Fan 120C°-140C°/Gas 1-3.
About one third of the meat weight gives you the weight of vegetables needed. Try onions, carrots, celery and leeks.

Sear for Flavour:

Heat a large ovenproof pan on a high heat, add a little oil and sear the meat until nicely browned all over.
For stews and casseroles, sear the small pieces of meat in batches, to make sure they are evenly browned all over.
Do not burn the meat as it makes it taste bitter.
Then take out the meat and sear the vegetables until nicely caramelised.

Add the Liquid:

After searing the vegetables, place the meat back in the pan.
Add wine, stock or a mixture, and herbs such as bay leaf, peppercorns or cloves.
Make sure that the liquid covers at least a third to a half of the meat and bring gently to the boil on the hob. This is known as 'deglazing'.
Avoid boiling too quickly as this can make the meat stringy.

The Cooking Process:

Cover with a lid and transfer into the preheated oven, or continue to simmer gently on the hob at a very low temperature.
For the perfect braise we recommend using the oven method as the process is more gentle and the meat does not stick to the bottom of the pot as it can with the hob method.
Check from time to time and top up with liquid if needed.

Test the Meat:

Cooking times vary depending on the cut and your oven.
As a rule of thumb, you should check casseroles after 1 hour and at regular intervals thereafter.
The easiest way to check joints is to use a meat fork, inserted into the thickest part of the meat.
The fork should go in and out easily. With stews and casseroles, simply take a piece out and taste it.

• Energy: 1096 kJ/ 262 kcal
• Fat: 14.3g, of which Saturates: 5.5g
• Carbohydrate: 0g, of which Sugars: 0g
• Fibre: 0g
• Protein: 30.9g
• Salt: 0.58g

Storage: Keep frozen at -18°C or below
Defrost: Defrost in refrigerator overnight. Do not re-freeze once defrosted
Shelf life defrosted: Store in refrigerator and use within 24 hours