Shepherd’s pie will come out tasty if 1 ‘secret’ ingredient is added

A chef has shared five tips which will help you whip up a Michelin-star worthy shepherd’s pie all from the comfort of your own home. Shepherd’s pie is a quintessentially British dish, made with a rich, minced meat and vegetable filling, topped with a thick layer of mashed potatoes, and baked to perfection to create the ultimate comfort meal.

Heston Blumenthal might not be the first name that springs to mind when thinking about the humble shepherd’s pie, with the renowned celebrity chef and food writer most known and loved for his creative yet scientific approach to cooking.

His restaurant the Fat Duck, in Bray, Berkshire, holds an impressive three Michelin stars and, in 2005, was even named one of the best restaurants in the world by the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Chefs Jack Croft and Will Murray are the creators and directors of the sustainable, high-profile London restaurants Fallow, Roe and FOWL.

On YouTube, Jack recently delivered a shepherd’s pie tutorial, inspired by the dish served at one of Heston Blumenthal’s restaurants, as the celebrity chef was their “former boss”.

Jack began: “Shepherd’s pie is one of Britain’s most iconic dishes, but very few people are cooking it correctly.

“We’re recreating Michelin legend Heston Blumenthal’s version from his one Michelin star pub, The Hinds Head, and showing you how to turn a humble classic into something truly exceptional.”

The pub in question, the Hinds Head, is an historic, 15th-century gastropub found in Bray, Maidenhead and it boasts a coveted Michelin star.

In the caption accompanying the video, Jack listed the recipe which comes with a bit of a twist. It’s not made purely with minced meat but also with lamb shanks, which Jack branded Blumenthal’s “secret weapon”.

Alongside the recipe, the chef detailed five essential preparation tips to get the dish just like the pro’s – and it all comes down to your prep work.

Jack advised completing the following five steps “the night before”:

The five steps were then followed by 23 step-by-step instructions to ensure the perfect shepherd’s pie. It all starts the next day, when the stock can be drained into a large saucepan and cooked on a medium high heat and “reduced by half”.

Of the lamb shank twist, Jack added: “Pull the lamb shanks off the bone and run a knife through the meat a couple of times. Remove from the heat, add rosemary and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.”

The shanks are to be combined with lamb mince and vegetables to create a rich, dense and textured filling.