Notting Hill hip? How the west was (re)won

Quick & Easy Ground Beef Recipes That Make Dinner A Breeze

Who hasn't had the traditional meatloaf made with ketchup and onion soup mix? Well, forget that, um, forgettable recipe with this update. The flavor here comes from white onion and bell peppers, hot cherry peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, curry powder, fresh basil, and more. As its creator notes, it's "definitely not bland and boring."

Recipe: The View From Great Island

Impressive Mince Recipes For Cosy Cooking

Our collection of best mince recipes tick off cross-continental cuisines, using beef mince, pork mince, chicken mince and lamb mince. From an Italian chicken mince ragù with rigatoni and NY-style meatball subs to Sichuanese spicy lamb mince dumplings and fragrant stir-fried pork mince recipes hailing from Thailand, there's almost no savoury mince recipe we don't cover. And of course we have a classic Aussie beef burger using premium mince then topped with pickled beetroot.

Here are our best mince recipes to cook when only comfort will do, but you still want to impress.

Making Mince On Toast

When I was in England recently I was reminded of this quintessential comfort food. Many cafés in Britain feature it regularly on their menu and there is nothing quite as warming and satisfying as a good plate of mince on toast. I'm ashamed to say that when I went flatting it was the only meal I could cook, but it served me well nutritionally with the amount of veges in it – and if you team it with wholemeal toast, it's looking quite healthy. It was also quite cheap to make up a batch that could last several days. So if you have teenagers, why not teach them this basic dish. Then you will know that when they leave home they are at least capable of making something nutritious.

This is a great quick meal for a Friday night or a weekend lunch for friends, who will be delightfully reminded of their childhood by this dish. You can put this together in about 30 minutes and it makes a great heat-and-eat meal to leave for the kids if you are going out. It's also a great dish to give to elderly friends who may need a bit of a hand in the cooking department. You can also make this with pork or lamb mince for something a bit different.

Ingredients 1 Tbsp Olive oil 1 Onion, finely chopped 1 clove Garlic, finely chopped 500 g Beef mince (Main) 1 Carrot, peeled and diced 2 sticks Celery, finely chopped 1 Parsnip, peeled and diced 500 ml Beef stock (Main) 1 Bay leaf 3 sprigs Thyme 2 Tbsp Tomato paste 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Mustard 2 tsp Cornflour, to thicken 1 to taste Salt & freshly ground pepper Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot and saute the onion and garlic until clear. Add the mince and brown.

Add the carrot, parsnip and celery and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Add the beef stock to the pan and then add the bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.

Bring to the boil, put on the lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

Just before serving, thicken with 2 tsp cornflour (mixed with a little cold water to a paste) and stir through. Make sure this is nice and thick as there is nothing worse than runny mince making the toast soggy. Add more cornflour if necessary. Add salt and pepper and serve on hot buttered toast. Vogel's is a perfect bread to go with this.

TIP:Instead of powdered beef stock, try the new stock gels that are available. The flavour is much better and there aren't as many additives in them.

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