Serves 12

What comes to mind with Oxtail Stew is deliciously rich, warming, comfort food. So it’s perfect for winter. The sauce is so moreish that I use the left-overs in an Oxtail Risotto – if you’re lucky enough to have any left over!

Here’s what goes in

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon of garlic, crushed
• Olive oil for frying
• 2kg of oxtail
• Salt and meat spice for seasoning
• 1 teaspoon of dried mixed herbs
• 3 tablespoons of flour, for thickening
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons of fruit chutney
• 1 tin of good quality, plum tomatoes (400g)
• 3 cups of chicken stock
• 1 cup of red wine

How to do it

Pre-heat your oven to 160°C. In a heavy-based, oven-proof pot, fry the garlic and onions until soft and transparent. Add the oxtail and season it with the salt, spices and herbs and continue to brown it, adding the Worcestershire sauce and chutney. Add the flour ensuring the oxtail is evenly coated. (This will help thicken your stew). Add the tomato, chicken stock and red wine, ensuring that the liquid fully covers the meat and you have a good, saucy consistency. Place the lid on it and pop it into the oven for four to five hours.

Stir the oxtail from time to time and check the liquid level every hour, as you don’t want it to dry out. If it needs more liquid, top it up with one cup of chicken stock at a time. The end result should be a hearty stew, with enough gravy to serve with rice or perhaps some mashed potato. The meat should easily come off the bone.