Lasagne

1kg (2 packs) Vowley Farm’s rare breed minced beef
1 small pack (100g) of Vowley Farm’s bacon bits
2-3 onions finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons of mixed herbs (sage, basil, parsley, bay leaf, oregano) – use fresh if available.
Lasagne sheets (verdi or egg)
50g (2 oz) of plain flour
50g (2 oz) of Ceri's butter
1 pt of Ceri's milk
200g (8 oz) cheese (Ceri's Brinkworth Blue or similar full fat and flavoured cheese)

For the meat sauce

Fry onions and garlic in a little oil on a gentle heat until softened, set to one side.

Fry the beef and bacon in batches to brown it.

Add the onions, garlic, chopped tomatoes, beef stock and mixed herbs.

Mix and cook in the oven in a casserole for 2-3 hours at a temperature of around 150-160o C. Set aside and leave to cool (preferably overnight).

Alternatively the sauce can be cooked in a slow cooker 5-6 hours on low.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. Heat until the consistency of a smooth thick paste is achieved stirring all the time.

Add the milk a little at a time allowing it to thicken.

When all the milk has been added bring to the boil and allow to thicken stirring all the time.

Add the cheese broken into smallish chunks or grated. Stir until melted.

Put a layer of meat sauce into a lasagne dish, then add a layer of lasagne followed by half the sauce and repeat.

Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes at 180o C.