Dr Mobeus
Beef Cobbler
A beef cobbler is what happens when a stew and a cheese scone have a meeting. You make a rich mince and carrot gravy, exactly as you would for a pie, but instead of a pastry lid you drop soft rounds of cheesy, herby scone dough on top so they bake into golden dumplings sitting in the sauce. The scone underside soaks up a little gravy while the top stays crisp, which is the whole reason to make it. Value mince, a couple of carrots and a basic scone mix keep the entire dish around £2.40 for six portions, and it freezes in portions beautifully, so make the full tray even if you are only feeding three.
Beef Cobbler
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the mince in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no pink remains. Tip away any excess fat.
- Add the onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes until the onion has softened. Stir in the plain flour and the crumbled stock cube, then pour in the hot water and the Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes until the carrots are tender and the gravy has thickened. Season well and tip into a baking dish.
- For the cobbler topping, rub the cold butter into the self-raising flour with a pinch of salt until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheddar, thyme and enough milk to bring it together into a soft, slightly sticky dough.
- Spoon 6 rough rounds of the dough over the hot filling, leaving gaps between them so the gravy can bubble through.
- Bake at 200C (180C fan) for 18 to 20 minutes until the scones are risen and golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Tips and Variations
Swap the thyme for sage in winter, and any hard cheese works in the topping. The assembled but unbaked cobbler freezes well, then bakes from frozen with 10 extra minutes. If the gravy looks loose before baking, let it reduce for a few minutes more, as the scones will absorb some but not all of it. Leftovers reheat well covered in the oven for 15 minutes.
