This one of my personal favourites as it takes two hours to cook which gives us time to get out into the garden or go to an after school activity like swimming or gymnastics. Also I haven't met a child yet who doesn't love dumplings.
Delicious, hearty and warming stew that cooks away in the oven whilst you get on with the after school activities

Preheat the oven to 170 C
Fry off the onions in a large ovenproof dish until they've softened. Add the stewing steak and cook till brown
Stir in the flour and mix it in thoroughly
Add in the tomato puree, stock, carrots, garlic and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper
Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for about two hours
Sieve the flour into a bowl and mix in the suet, parsley and pepper
Next add enough water to make a soft but not too sticky dough, around 2-3 tbsp
Lightly flour your hands and roll the dough into eight small balls (they will double in size after cooking)
Add to the stew (just sitting on top of the stew) 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time
The kids can help prepare the veg, peeling the carrot for example. They also enjoy weighing out the flour and suet for the dumplings, mixing and shaping them. It's a great opportunity to make a mess!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 170 C
Fry off the onions in a large ovenproof dish until they've softened. Add the stewing steak and cook till brown
Stir in the flour and mix it in thoroughly
Add in the tomato puree, stock, carrots, garlic and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper
Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for about two hours
Sieve the flour into a bowl and mix in the suet, parsley and pepper
Next add enough water to make a soft but not too sticky dough, around 2-3 tbsp
Lightly flour your hands and roll the dough into eight small balls (they will double in size after cooking)
Add to the stew (just sitting on top of the stew) 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time