Meat loaf is wonderful comfort food that tastes great and is easy to cook. In these hard times, it is also great value for money. If you cannot get a bottle of Death or Glory use similar strong dark ale as the residual sugar in strong ale adds a wonderful underlying sweetness and richness to the dish.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

750g lean minced beef
200g good quality sausage meat
1 medium onion, finely chopped
330 ml bottle of Death or Glory Ale (or similar strong ale)
1 large free range egg, beaten
100g breadcrumbs
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried sage
1 fresh bay leaf
1 tablespoon Death or Glory mustard (or similar grain mustard)
1 heaped tablespoon tomato purée
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
Salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

The day before, place the mince and bay leaf in a suitable bowl and cover with the Death or Glory Ale. Place in the fridge.

When you are ready to assemble the loaf drain the beer from the mince using a sieve. Collect the beer as you can add it to some beef stock to make wonderful gravy. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the mince and all the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl and then get your hands messy, as it needs to be thoroughly mixed.

Place the mixture in a 900g loaf tin and gently push down so that all the corners are filled. Ensure the surface is flat and even. Place a piece of buttered greaseproof paper on the top and bake in the oven for 90 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 15 minutes before turning out. Slice and serve with fluffy mashed potato, plenty of gravy and seasonal vegetables.