I can't believe Hexus has a cookery forum - that's class!

Anyway my recipe for stew (for 2 people):

300-350g stewing steak (cubed)
1 carrot (sliced)
1 onion (sliced)
~10 cherry tomatoes (whole)
2 bay leaves
sprinkling of thyme
heaped tsp ground cumin
4 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
300ml beef stock (2 stock cubes, 2 heaped tsp plain flour)
150-200ml good red wine

1) In an oven proof dish (with lid) add the carrot, cherry tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, cumin, and garlic.
2) Fry the onions until golden brown and then add to dish.
3) Fry the beef in the same pan (make sure it is very hot) until brown all over and then add to the dish. If you are scaling this recipe up will will probably need to do this in batches.
4) If you're making the stock with cubes and flour like me - crumble the cubes in to a measuring jug, add the flour and then enough boiling water to make a paste. Then add the rest of the boiling water - this makes sure you don't have any lumps. You can use some of this to deglaze the frying pan if you like. Add all to the the dish.
5) Add the wine and season well.
6) Place in the top of a pre heated oven (Gas mark 2, 150C) and cook for at least 3 hours - but more is better.
7) Serve with mash, veg, crusty bread and the rest of the red wine. I like to make mash with a combination of potato and sweet potato.
8) Pat stomach and have a satisfying burp

Cheers