With the final series of Downton Abbey hitting our screens, here’s a recipe perfect for saying goodbye to the most successful British drama in decades.

Straight from the kitchen of Mrs Patmore, this dishes can be recreated at home for an elegant Edwardian suppers, or cold luncheon the next day.

BEEF WELLINGTON

Serves: 5-6
Ready: 2 hours plus resting time
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes  plus resting time
 
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ground black pepper
900g beef roasting joint
English mustard for brushing the meat
800g mushrooms
200g pâté
8 slices Parma ham
800g puff pastry
1 tbsp plain flour (for rolling out the pastry)
2 egg yolks lightly whisked

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C, Gas Mark 6.

Brush the top of the joint of beef with 1 tbsp olive oil and then season with pepper.

Heat some oil in a large pan and quickly fry the seasoned beef all over until it’s brown. Remove and allow to cool.

The point of this is simply to sear the beef and seal all those juices in, you don’t want to cook the meat at this stage. Allow to cool and brush generously with the mustard.

Roughly chop the mushrooms and blend in a food processor with the pâté to form a puree.

Roll out a generous length of cling film, lay out the slices of Parma ham, each one slightly overlapping the last. With a pallet knife spread the mushroom and pâté mixture evenly over the ham.

Place the beef fillet in the middle and keeping a tight hold of the cling film from the outside edge, neatly roll the Parma Ham and mushrooms over into a tight barrel shape.

Twist the ends to secure the cling film. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes, this allows the Wellington to set and helps keep the shape.

Roll out the pastry quite thinly to a size which will cover your beef. Unwrap the meat from the cling film.

Egg wash the edge of the pastry and place the beef in the middle. Roll up the pastry, cut any excess off the ends and fold neatly to the ‘underside’. Turn over and egg wash over the top.

Chill again to let the pastry cool, about five minutes. Egg wash again before baking 1-1.5 hours. Rest 8-10 minutes before slicing.