Reviewed: Feb. 25, 2013

I've done this twice. Once as written and once with changes. Both times, I used Guinness and no turnips. As written, I think this recipe is probably a 3-star at best. I had difficulty getting the "gravy" to thicken, the potatoes and carrots weren't all cooked through even after over an hour in the oven and it ended up much more like a broth. It was also kind of bland. Here are the changes I made, I cooked the vegetables and onions in about a cup and a half of beef broth until they were soft and then scooped them out with a slotted spoon. I used the reserved liquid in place of the water for the ale mixture and added both a gravy packet and a packet of my go-to garlic and herb dry soup mix. I made sure the gravy was thick before spooning it over the beef and veggies. Done this way, this recipe was EXCELLENT, 5-star definitely and one my picky-eater husband has requested again. So it averages out to a 4-star...not exceptional as written but pretty easy to adjust to your own taste/family.

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Reviewer:

Sharon

Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2012

The only difference I made was a little (not a whole) stock cube to the water. Beyond tasty!

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heatherw

Reviewed: May 7, 2011

Have had a taste for this since returning from Britain. Made a side of mushy peas to go along:)

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CTom

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Grayslake, Illinois, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2010

My English husband loved this, we used puff pastry from the freezer, skipped the turnip and did sliced mushrooms. Also, used the worchestershire sauce and diced curly parsley with brown gravy baked for 1 hr. after having an egg comb over the puff pastry. Fantastic....thank you pie man.

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Anita T

Reviewed: Oct. 7, 2010

When I made this a few months back.....the phrase goes "What steak and ale pie?" We made two HUGE pies and it didn't last past that night. Was VERY delicious!

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Lahani

Reviewed: Sep. 24, 2010

GREAT!! Everyone loved it! Big hit! I added 6 cloves of crushed garlic.

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American

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jun. 23, 2010

This tasted great and my parents raved about how good it was, but I found it bland compared to the pies I've had in the UK and the one I made from some British website. If you're making something as delicious and luxurious as a steak and ale pie, it's worth it to find a recipe that has mushrooms and uses a flour roux instead of cornstarch. (If you do follow this recipe, I couldn't get it to thicken until I put in several more cornstarch slurries. When it's had enough it'll start to thicken as soon as it boils.) I couldn't exactly taste the cornstarch but it left little angular globs on my plate that looked like they would be more at home on some General Tso's chicken. I didn't mind, but with a roux you'd sneak some delicious butter in there and get a chance to use the maillard reaction. However you make it, peas on the side are a must!

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Reviewer:

Lauryl

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Nov. 6, 2009

I made this recipe tonight for dinner and my son and my English boyfriend loved it as did I. There were a couple of changes: no turnips, no ale, and I used oil instead of lard. (Didn't have these ingredients is why.) I also made three smaller pies using small corningware baking ramekins, and I used OXO beef bouillion cubes as the ale substitute with water and cornstarch. They were amazingly good, thanks so much for sharing this recipe! Next time I will try it as written, I've been looking for a good beef pie to make for the boyfriend who misses having them in England.

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Reviewer:

Jen

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Huntington Beach, California, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 18, 2009

Fairly easy to make; common ingredients; cleanup is minimal; about 75 minutes from start to finish, including cooking. The cornstarch didn't work for me as a thickening agent. Will try flour next time. Increase veggies by about 1/4 to fill a 9" pie plate and parboil them beforehand to ensure they're really done at the end of 45-50 minutes in the oven. I'm thinking you could also top it with biscuits like a turkey or chicken pot pie, instead of the puff pastry. Otherwise, very tasty with just salt and pepper.

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Reviewer:

Dean

Reviewed: Oct. 11, 2009

This is a good recipe for a classic 'footie' food. Add a little more beef, cut back slightly on some of the veggies and add some more corn starch to the sauce and this becomes a perfect main course.

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