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Traditional Beef Stew and Suet Dumplings HERO
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Traditional Beef Stew and Suet Dumplings (Made with Atora Beef Suet)

A Traditional Beef Stew with Suet Dumplings is a much loved British Classic – and for good reason! Delicious pieces of meltingly tender beef and root vegetables, slow-cooked a rich beef gravy and topped with pillowy soft – and unbelievably moreish – suet dumplings. What could be better?
Course Main Course
Cuisine British
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 660kcal
Author Eb Gargano

Ingredients

Beef Stew

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 150 g chestnut mushrooms quartered
  • 300 g swede (US - rutabaga) peeled and chopped into bitesize chunks (roughly 1cm/½inch)
  • 300 g carrots peeled and chopped into bitesize chunks (roughly 1cm/½inch)
  • 400 g diced beef (usually sold as ‘diced beef’ or ‘stewing beef’ in supermarkets)
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour
  • 1 beef stock cube (I use Kallo Organic)
  • 750 ml boiling water
  • 2 bay leaves

Suet Dumplings

  • 200 g self-raising flour (US - self-rising flour)
  • 100 g shredded suet (I use Atora Beef Suet)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • Cold water
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Pre-heat your oven to 180C / 160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F.
  • Place the olive oil and onions in a flameproof, ovenproof pan. (See Notes 1 & 2.) Fry over a low heat, with the lid on, for 3 minutes, or until the onions are softened but not brown.
  • Turn the heat up to high and add the mushrooms. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms and onions are lightly browned.
  • Add the swede and carrots and fry for 2 more minutes on high, stirring frequently.
  • Meanwhile, make a quick gravy by putting the 2 tablespoons of cornflour and the crumbled beef stock cube into a large jug. Add a splash of cold water and stir to make a smooth paste. Then add the boiling water slowly, stirring to ensure there are no lumps.
  • Pour the gravy into the pan, and then add the diced beef and the bay leaves. Stir and bring to the boil.
  • Put the lid on the pan and put the stew into your preheated oven. Cook for a total of 2 hours. (Check halfway through to ensure there is enough liquid in the pan – top up if necessary. See Note 3.)
  • 30 minutes before the stew is ready, make the dumplings. Put the flour, suet and salt in a bowl. Stir to ensure the salt and suet are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
  • Add just enough cold water to make the mixture come together into a firm dough. (Add a little at a time to ensure the dough does not get too wet. The dough should be firm, but not crumbly or sticky.)
  • Divide the dough into 16 roughly even sized pieces (it doesn’t have to be perfect!) and roll each piece into a ball with your hands.
  • Place the dumplings on top of your stew in a single layer and put the lid back on. Cook for 20 minutes, by which time both the stew and the dumplings should be cooked.
  • Serve with green vegetables.

Notes

  1. I use a Le Creuset-style cast iron casserole dish, (AKA dutch oven) which can go on the hob and in the oven. If you don’t have a pan that can go on the hob and in the oven, simply start this stew in a regular saucepan and then tip it into an ovenproof dish to go into the oven.
  2. I use a 4 litres capacity / 24cm diameter dutch oven. (4.25 quarts / 9.5 inches) There is certainly some flexibility with this stew, however, so a slightly smaller or larger dutch oven / saucepan / ovenproof dish would still work just fine. However, you should make sure the pot you use for the stew is wide enough to fit the dumplings in a single layer. I suggest a minimum of 20cm / 8inches diameter.
  3. Depending on the kind of oven dish you use, you may find that some of the liquid from the stew is lost through evaporation. The first time you make this stew, you should check on your stew about 1 hour into the cooking, and again just before you add the dumplings to ensure there is enough gravy. There should be enough liquid that the meat and vegetables are almost completely submerged in the gravy. If you find some of the liquid has evaporated, simply add some more boiling water from the kettle and give the stew a good stir before returning to the oven. Make a note of how much you add, and in future you can add the extra in from the beginning.
  4. Suitable for freezing.
  5. Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition

Calories: 660kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 509mg | Potassium: 1076mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 12536IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 3mg