TO MAKE THE FILLING
Preheat over to 160°C
Season the beef and shake in a bag with the flour to coat.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over a high heat in a large deep ovenproof pan.
Brown the beef in batches, transfer to a plate and set aside. You may need to add a little more oil for each batch.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan over a medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes to soften.
Turn up the heat, add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for another few minutes.
Add the stock, mushrooms, sugar, carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf, paprika and the seared beef. Mix gently to combine.
Cover the pan tightly with foil or a lid (or transfer to a casserole dish if your pan isn’t ovenproof) and cook in the oven for 2 ½-3 hours.
Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Leave the mixture to cool slightly then remove the celery stick and bay leaf.
Increase the oven temp to 190°C.

TO ASSEMBLE
Fill 4-6 pie dishes with the beef filling, then place a couple of cheese slices on top of each.
Top with a circle of pastry, seal and crimp the edges.
Brush pastry with the egg wash and prick the top to create steam holes.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.
Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving as they will be very hot.

TO SERVE
Serve the pies with tomato relish or tomato sauce and seasonal green salad.
Recipe by Beef and Lamb NZ.