I am not a natural when it comes to red meat. Anything beyond a stew or hot pot is a challenge. And I always overcook for the modern palate. But I had a decent rib of beef in the freezer, and it can’t stay there that long. No potatoes or onions until I have finished the box of root vegetables, so here goes:

• Ingredients: one rib of beef, beetroot, parsnips and swede, a little red wine, garden herbs, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.

• Method:

My beef rib was 0.797kg and the cooking time stated on the label was 25 minutes at 220^oC. Needless to say I cooked it lower and much longer but it’s up to you. I used a cast iron dish which was lined with slices of parsnip and swede, plus stems of sage, thyme and marjoram. I was liberal with sea salt and ground pepper and then placed it in the oven until it was cooked. Just before that point I poured in a very little red wine, turned the rib over and upped the heat a bit. When done I let it rest for a while, before serving with the roasted roots and their wine jus, slices of cold beetroot – bake whole for two hours in a medium oven, leave to cool and then sprinkle with balsamic vinegar – and home made olive and garlic fougasse.

Masses of leftover beef to eat tomorrow, thinly sliced with mashed something or other and mustard pickle. Or stir fried with brussel sprouts and matchsticks of celeriac. Or fougasse beef and tomato sandwiches …