Slow cooker recipe for beef and ale stew, slow cookers keep the flavour locked in and you can use cheaper cuts of meat, the long cooking time will leave the beef very tender. About 400g of beef and 600g of vegetables would make about 6 generous portions when served with potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, but only 4 when served on its own.
Add a drained tin of tomatoes at beginning of cooking time. Substitute a large glass of red wine for the porter/ale. Add herbs, such as parsley.
Serve with a giant Yorkshire pudding and mashed potatoes. (Or add chunks of peeled potatoes to slow cooker with other vegetables). Serve with dumplings (add 1 hour before end of cooking time). Serve with or without the dumplings in a bowl with large chunks of crusty bread on the side.
I have not tried this recipe yet but will add that for those who are not familiar with Henderson's Relish, you could substitute with Worcestershire sauce. Henderson's can be best described as a slightly sweeter (and many believe, a far superior) cousin of Worcestershire sauce. Henderson's is a good all rounder and can be used with any meat, unfortunately it is not commonly available outside of Yorkshire. - 05 Jan 2015