By Linda Garrould · Updated June 2026
This is our own weekend shepherd’s pie: rich, savoury beef under a forked, golden mash, ready in about an hour and three-quarters and built for an unhurried Saturday or Sunday lunch. It serves six, freezes beautifully, and asks nothing more of you than a roomy dish and a masher that earns its keep.
A word on whose recipe this is. Over the years we have evolved our own version in our own kitchen, and it has wandered a fair way from where it started — our quantities, our method, our forked top. The biggest change is that we now make ours with beef rather than the traditional lamb (more on that below), build the gravy on an organic beef stock cube and a mushroom one for real savoury depth, and slip a little fresh basil into the sauce to lift the tomato. If it is specifically Jamie Oliver’s recipe you came for, his original is in the video further down the page; ours sits very happily alongside it.
Our weekend shepherd’s pie
For the filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or a knob of butter)
- 1 kg beef mince (we prefer beef in ours — see the note below)
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 250 ml red wine (optional — use extra stock instead)
- 400 ml beef stock, made from 1 organic beef stock cube and 1 mushroom stock cube (the mushroom adds a lovely savoury depth)
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves and a few sprigs of thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
- a few leaves of fresh basil, torn (or 1 tsp dried) — it brings out the flavour of the tomato
- 150 g frozen peas
- sea salt and black pepper
For the mash
- 1.2 kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled and cut into chunks
- 50 g butter
- 75 ml warm milk
- 50 g mature Cheddar, grated (optional)
- a little freshly grated nutmeg
- salt and pepper
Method
- Put the potatoes in a large pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15–18 minutes until completely tender. Drain well and let them steam-dry for a couple of minutes, then mash with the butter and warm milk until smooth. Season, add a grating of nutmeg, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep pan and brown the beef mince in two batches over a good heat — colour is flavour, so don’t crowd the pan. Lift each batch out and set aside.
- Lower the heat and add the onion, carrot and celery to the same pan. Cook gently for 8–10 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic for a minute, then the tomato purée and flour, and cook for another minute.
- Return the beef, pour in the wine (if using) and let it bubble for a minute. Add the stock (the beef and mushroom cubes dissolved in hot water), Worcestershire sauce, bay, thyme and the basil, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30–35 minutes, until rich and glossy. Stir through the peas, then taste and season well.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Spoon the filling into a roughly 2-litre ovenproof dish. Top with the mash, spreading it right to the edges to seal, then fork the surface into rough peaks — that is what crisps up. Scatter over the Cheddar, if using.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and bubbling at the edges. Let it settle for 5 minutes before serving, with buttered greens or extra peas.
This is Saturday & Sunday’s own recipe, written in our kitchen — not Jamie Oliver’s. By Linda Garrould.
Shepherd’s pie or cottage pie? Lamb versus beef
A point of honesty, since it is the thing most people are quietly checking: a true shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, and the beef version is, strictly speaking, a cottage pie. The name is the clue — shepherds keep sheep. Our own recipe above has drifted to beef over the years simply because we prefer it: with an organic beef stock cube, a mushroom stock cube and a little basil, it has a deep, savoury richness we love. We have kept the familiar ‘shepherd’s pie’ name because it is what everyone searches for and cooks at home, cottage-pie pedantry notwithstanding. Prefer the classic? Swap in a kilo of lamb mince and lamb stock and you have a proper shepherd’s pie, with no other changes needed.
Making it ahead, freezing and leftovers
Shepherd’s pie is a friend to a busy week. To get ahead, assemble it completely, cool it, cover and keep it in the fridge for up to two days, then bake as in the recipe (give it an extra 10 minutes if it is fridge-cold). To freeze, either freeze it assembled but unbaked, or freeze cooled, baked portions — both keep well for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in a hot oven until piping hot all the way through, 75°C at the centre if you like to check. Leftovers keep, covered, in the fridge for up to three days and reheat beautifully — arguably better, once the flavours have had a night to settle. It is a thrifty thing, too: a kilo of mince, stretched with onions, carrots and a tin of good intentions, feeds six generously and still does lunch the next day.
Want Jamie’s version? Here is his original
We first wrote about this dish after spotting Jamie Oliver’s lovely family shepherd’s pie on Facebook — as he put it, “with crispy potato all the way round and gorgeous tender meat in the middle.” If you would like to follow his, here it is:
Shepherd’s pie: your questions answered
Is shepherd’s pie made with lamb or beef?
Traditionally lamb — shepherds keep sheep, so a classic shepherd’s pie uses lamb mince, while the beef version is technically a cottage pie. In our own recipe above we actually prefer beef for its deeper, savoury flavour, but the method is identical either way: use lamb if you want the traditional version.
Can you freeze shepherd’s pie?
Yes, very well, for up to three months — either assembled but unbaked, or in cooled, baked portions. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in a hot oven until piping hot all the way through (75°C at the centre if you’re checking).
What are the best potatoes for the mash?
Floury ones — Maris Piper or King Edward. Drain them well and let them steam-dry before mashing so the topping stays light rather than gluey, and fork the top into peaks for the crispest finish.
How long does it take, and can I make it ahead?
About an hour and three-quarters from scratch (30 minutes’ prep, around an hour and a quarter cooking), and it serves six. To get ahead, assemble it completely, cover and keep in the fridge for up to two days, then bake as in the recipe, adding 10 minutes if it goes in fridge-cold.
Linda's kit list for this pie
Nothing fancy needed for a proper shepherd's pie — just a good roomy dish and a masher that earns its keep. Here's what we use:
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DOWAN 13in Large Rectangular Ceramic Baking Dish
A large, deep oven-to-table dish gives you that golden, bubbling top and goes straight from oven to the middle of the table.
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KitchenCraft Stainless Steel Potato Masher
A sturdy masher is the difference between a smooth, fluffy topping and a lumpy one — this one's a proper workhorse.
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Joeji's Kitchen Mini Oven Dishes (set of 4)
Handy for individual or children's portions — ideal for a family weekend when the little ones want their own.
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As an Amazon Associate, Saturday & Sunday earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest kit we’d genuinely use.
More family-friendly recipes
For another hands-off comfort supper, try our slow cooker sausage casserole — browned sausages in a rich tomato sauce, left to look after themselves all day.
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