This Hairy Bikers cottage pie from Perfect Pies tops 500g beef mince in red wine gravy with a golden Cheddar mash crust. And it comes in at around 680 calories for four, so it works as a midweek dinner or a weekend batch cook.
Si and Dave call this “one of our very favourite pies,” which tells you how much this recipe means to them. And their version stands out because they stir 100g of grated Cheddar into the mash, so you get a cheesy crust that a plain potato topping can never match.
Everything rides on one small step that most recipes skip: sprinkling flour into the pan after the wine reduces and stirring it through the mince. Since that flour thickens the filling into a proper gravy, your pie holds together when served instead of leaking runny juice all over the plate.
Hairy Bikers Cottage Pie Recipe
Description
Lean beef mince simmered with red wine, Worcestershire sauce and herbs until thick, then baked under a Cheddar potato crust until the peaks turn crisp and the edges bubble over.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
For the Cheesy Mash Topping:
Instructions
- Fry the vegetables: Heat the sunflower oil in a large deep pan, then gently fry the onion, celery and carrots for 8 minutes until the onion has softened. Then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more while stirring occasionally.
- Brown the mince: Tip the beef mince into the pan and cook with the vegetables for about 5 minutes until no pink remains, while stirring to break up the meat. Then pour in the red wine and let it bubble until reduced by half before sprinkling in the flour and stirring well for a couple of minutes.
- Simmer the filling: Gradually stir in the beef stock and cold water, then add the tomato purée, herbs and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook over a low heat for 25 to 30 minutes until the mince is tender and the sauce has thickened. Season with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, then spoon into a 1.2-litre ovenproof dish.
- Make the cheesy mash: While the filling simmers, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes until soft. Drain and return to the pan, then mash with the butter and milk until smooth before stirring in the grated Cheddar and seasoning to taste. Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6.
- Top and bake: Spoon the cheesy mash over the filling, working around the edges first and then towards the middle. Rough up the surface with a fork to create peaks that will crisp up, then bake on a tray for about 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling at the edges.
FAQs
Which Hairy Bikers cookbook has the cottage pie?
This recipe is from Perfect Pies, where Si and Dave build it with fresh beef mince under a Cheddar mash. But the Meat Feasts book has a completely different version called “Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie” that uses leftover roast meat instead of mince, which gives a chunkier texture since the meat is hand-diced rather than ground.
If you have leftover lamb from a Sunday roast, the leftover lamb shepherd’s pie uses that Meat Feasts approach and turns scraps into a proper second meal. And for something lighter, the Hairy Dieters Eat Well Every Day book has a version with cauliflower mash at just 438 calories.
What is the difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie?
Cottage pie uses beef and shepherd’s pie uses lamb, though the method is almost identical for both. Si and Dave even combine them into one recipe in Meat Feasts called “Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie” because the technique works the same way with either meat.
They do have dedicated shepherd’s pie recipes across several books though, so if you want the lamb version then the shepherd’s pie is the one to look at. And this page covers the beef version properly with the cheesy Cheddar mash from Perfect Pies.
Is there a vegetarian cottage pie?
The Everyday Winners book has a proper vegetarian cottage pie that uses lentils, mushrooms and root vegetables for the filling. And it is a full standalone recipe, not just a meat-free hack, so the flavours are built from scratch with their own spice balance.
If you want to go further, the Veggie Feasts book has an Indian shepherd’s pie with spiced lentils and a cauliflower topping that works as a spicy alternative. Both are cookbook recipes, so they are tested and reliable rather than something cobbled together to fill a gap.
Can I change the mash topping?
The cheesy mash is what makes this version special, but Si and Dave suggest sweet potato as an alternative in the Meat Feasts headnote. And the Dieters version swaps potato entirely for cauliflower mash with crème fraîche and dill, which drops the calories from 680 down to 438 per serving.
Leek mash is another option that works well with beef: boil chopped leeks with the potatoes for the last 5 minutes, then mash everything together with butter. And whichever topping you choose, rough up the surface with a fork before baking since those peaks are what crisp and brown in the oven.
Can I make this cottage pie ahead?
You can assemble the whole thing up to the baking stage, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. But add 10 minutes to the oven time when baking from cold, since the filling needs longer to heat through from the centre.
Leftover portions reheat well at 180°C for 20 minutes with foil over the top to stop the mash drying out. And if you want to freeze it, do so before baking since the raw assembled pie keeps for up to 3 months in the freezer, then defrost fully in the fridge overnight before baking as normal.
