I was sent some incredible beef fillet steaks from one of Scotland’s finest butchers, Donald Russell. Donald Russel Butchers have been upholding the highest standards of traditional craft butchery for over 40 years and have held the Royal Warrant for over 30 years.

The secret to preparing any delicious meal is simply to use the finest ingredients possible, so true when it came to the beef steaks. All their cattle are from the British Isles where the highest standards of animal husbandry are upheld. Their cattle are grass fed and you’ll find no additives here; and they follow strict criteria regarding weight and age of the animal.

Donald Russell butchers are based in Inverurie Aberdeenshire and you can purchase their meat online, post or phone. They will deliver straight to your door. www.donaldrussell.com.

Donald Russell Butchers teamed up with Executive Chef, Luke Matthews from 5 star luxury family hotel, Chewton Glen in the New Forest, Hampshire to bring us this recipe for Individual Beef Wellingtons.

I gave it a go and I can vouch that it’s marvellous!

Delicious Beef Wellington Recipe with Donald Russell Butchers - Beef Wellington - serves 2 

Ingredients

2                             Donald Russell Centre Cut Fillet Steaks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1tbs                       vegetable oil 

30g                         butter 

1                              banana shallot, finely chopped

2                             garlic cloves, one finely grated and one chopped

2 ½ large              flat mushrooms, peeled & put through a food processor

4                              sprigs of thyme (2 for sealing the steak)

50ml                      Madeira wine

1                              splash white truffle oil to taste

6                              slices of Parma ham 

1                              large sheet rolled puff pastry 

1tsp                       Dijon mustard

beaten egg for egg wash

 Method with photographs

Preheat the oven to 195°C.

Heat the oil in a frying pan. 

Season the beef and brown the fillet on all sides quickly with two sprigs of thyme, chopped garlic and a knob of butter.

Remove the fillet, thyme and garlic from the pan and reserve on a plate in the fridge.

Using the same pan add the shallots (I used red onions) and sauté in the butter till soft.

Add the mushrooms with the remaining thyme, then add the Madeira and reduce until evaporated and the mushrooms are well cooked and dry.

Add the grated garlic and cook for a further minute.

Add the truffle oil, season with salt and pepper.

Once the mixture is dried out, remove from the pan into a dish and reserve in the fridge.

Once the steak and mushroom mixture has cooled, dry the steak of any resting juices. Brush the steak all over with the mustard.

Lay out two sheets of clingfilm on top of each other on a table and lay the Parma ham over this.

Spread the mushroom mixture evenly over the top of the beef, then place the steak in the centre of the ham.

Wrap the ham around the whole steak, then wrap with the cling film to form a nice shape and return to the fridge to set.

Cut out four sheets of puff pastry (shop bought is fine) roughly the same size (one for the top and one for the bottom of each parcel).

Remove the clingfilm from the beef and place the beef into the centre of the pastry. Brush egg wash around. Place the other sheet on top, press down lightly and egg wash.

If you are good at working with pastry, use a lattice cutter to score an additional sheet of pastry, spread apart and lay over the Wellington or if you are like me, cut strips or add some decorations to the top of it - make it look pretty!

Using a reversed pastry cutter, press down to seal the all the pastry together or again if like me and you don’t have one of these, pinch the pastry together.

Place in the fridge and allow to set, remove and reshape the beef making sure there is not any gathering of the pastry, if there is, cut it off.

Glaze the pastry with the egg wash and bake at 195°C for 22 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

The steak will now have cooked up to medium rare. Leave to rest for two minutes before carving in half with a serrated knife to serve.

Serve with red wine sauce or mash potatoes, peas and asparagus like I did!

The fillet steak most certainly made this Beef Wellington. It was easy enough to prepare, perhaps took me a good 40 minutes or so; and I would most certainly make this again.

Thank you to Donald Russell Butchers for the beautiful fillet steaks and to Chef Luke Matthews for the recipe.