While the evidence for an early pie, a kind of honey cake, can be found on walls of the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses I, the Romans were the first to bake a sweet pie case. The Roman aristocrat and cookery writer Apicius had several recipes similar to a modern cheesecake which were often used as offerings to the gods. Medieval pies could be easily cooked over an open fire, and the earliest recipes refer to coffyns, a basket or box, with straight, sealed sides and a top.

The pastry was an effective airtight seal and used to prolong the life of expensive meats such as beef, lamb, and duck which was often mixed with spices and dried fruit – the origin of today’s mince pie. Pies became a staple of traveling and working people in the colder northern European countries, with regional variations made with the locally available meats. Grander pies became centrepieces and were often elaborately decorated. In Persuasion, Jane Austen describes a Christmas feast with “tressels and trays, bending under the weight of brawn and cold pies”.

Shin of beef is an inexpensive cut of meat, which is big on flavour, and is full of gelatinous sinew which cooks down to make excellent gravy. My top tip is to ask your butcher to dice it for you as it can be quite difficult to cut raw but ask him to give you the bone. My choice of beer is a brown ale packed with flavour but not as bitter as stout which some chefs use. Try Yorkshire classics Sam Smiths Nut Brown Ale or the mighty Riggwelter Strong Yorkshire Ale from the Black Sheep brewery.

Beef and Ale Pie

1.5kg shin of beef, cut into chunks

2 large white onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 sticks of celery, washed and finely chopped

1ltr good beef stock

250ml brown ale

3 tbs beef dripping

100g plain flour

2 tbs tomato puree

Bouquet garni; celery stick, bay leaf, parsley and thyme

Generous pinch of freshly grated Nutmeg

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Ready-made puff pastry, use an all-butter one if you can or shortcrust

1 egg, beaten

Place the beef, flour and seasoning into a plastic bag and shake. Meanwhile, heat the dripping in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Fry the beef shin in batches until browned all over and set aside. In the same pan, adding a little more oil if necessary, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until soft for about 10 minutes. Add the tomato puree and leftover flour and cook out for another minute, stirring continuously, before adding the beer, beef bone and beef stock.

Add the beef shin back to the pan, stir everything together and place the marrow bones and bouquet garni, tied with string, on top. Reduce the heat and, when gently simmering, place a tight-fitting lid on the pan. Allow to cook for about two hours then remove the lid and allow the sauce to reduce for another hour. When the beef is cooked, remove from the heat and thoroughly cool. When cool remove the bones and the bouquet garni.

To serve, pre-heat your oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4 and on a floured surface, roll out half of the pastry to fit an ovenproof pie dish. Carefully place the pastry into the greased dish and add the beef shin filling. Brush the edges with egg wash and top with the remaining rolled out pastry, crimp the edges and brush the top with the rest of the beaten egg. You can decorate with any pastry offcuts if you want. Place the pie in the oven for 30-45 minutes until the pastry is golden and cooked. Allow to stand for five minutes after baking and serve with horseradish mash and buttered peas.