How to Cook the Best Savoury Beef Mince

Savoury beef mince (ground beef) was a staple for me when I was growing up. It is a very cost-effective meal and a great way of sneaking vegetables into your children's food. It is so simple to make, and with the addition of a few flavourings and colourful vegetables, it can be appealing to the eyes as well as the taste buds!

Savoury beef mince can be served with potatoes, pasta or rice and a side dish or two to make a delicious balanced meal.

Additionally it can be served as Sloppy Joes over toasted bread, or it can be cooled and used as a pie filling 😋

*Please note: I have reduced the amount of salt I use since this video was published. Any further comments by The Salt Police will be deleted. Celery salt has no added salt in it, it is a one-ingredient condiment made entirely from celery. Cheap commercial celery salt and some celery salt recipes may contain added salt, but I either buy quality celery salt or I make my own.*

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[margaretvanson]

Another kiwi here. Mince was such a treat for us. We were farmers and lived on home-killed hoggett. All our veges were home grown and milk and its products were from our 2 home cows. It was the 1950s and we were so far from "the big smoke" Martinborough that were not connected to the electricity. We had a kerosene fridge, and a wood-fired cooking range as well as tilly lamps. When we hot a HUGE generator we felt very modern. They were the most wonderful days. No one locked their doors and everyone looked out for everyone else. Especially the women who used to listen to other people's phone calls on the party-line. No one had secrets. But we kids felt so safe and so surrounded with love and care. Thanks for the memories.

[chambielion]

This made me so hungry, for the mince and for my long gone family . Sitting around the table, 1970s Kiwi family eating mince and mashed spuds and carrots fresh from Dads vege garden, all of us talking and laughing . One on my comfort food wish list . Thanks for the memories 😁

[dannyrolfe]

This was a staple as a child in the 80s and 90s. Very homely and comforting. Reminds me of autumn and long dark winters ❤

[philsiverns]

My mum had so many variations on this depending on what was in the larder but the second day as a pie filling was always a treat.

[louiserawle]

I am an Aussie too, I love savoury mince and I always put in a tablespoon of curry powder as well, it's always best the next day heaped on buttered Wholemeal toast..YUMMY!!

[annab]

I’m an Aussie. I always have made a version of this for years . But no cabbage. Grew up eating it too and I’m 62 ! We always made it in a frying pan not round saucepan.
I’ve always cut up the potato in quarters and popped them in there too 👍then it’s a whole meal in one pan. I only put a little bit of water in it so no need for the cornflour . I put a bit of tomato sauce on it when I eat it . It’s always better the next day on toast too

[dianacfleming]

Brings me back to my childhood. We had this every week at least. Cheap, tasty, filling. Thanks for the recipe, I'd totally forgotten about it!

[joshuacole]

This is how more or less how I was taught to make a cottage pie filling by my parents growing up in the 90s, though I've also had it with pasta, a really hearty and comforting meal.

[tinalaimo]

Tried this out today and I have to be honest. The flavour taste so different and tasty. My kids loved it. I am glad I stumbled into this video.

[jamebrooke]

I'm 66 years old from America, my grandmother use to make this!! Never knew it had a name!! Thanks!!

[mgpbcnk]

I make this recipe as the base for cottage pie or with large yorkshire puddings. My german husband and son love it.

[valeriebrown]

I really wanted to thank you for this. I was born and grew up in Preston, where this was a staple. Your recipe is perfect and I was so impressed that you cooked the carrots and potatoes separately, which I always do. The only extra thing that I add is parsnips - because we love them. Here in Canada they have a version called Hamburger Soup and it’s a horrible grey mess. I am making your version tonight, thank you 🙋‍♀️🇨🇦🤣

Decent. If all the celebrity, high production chefs got beamed up and away this guy would do. Champion.

[lyndaoneill]

Wow, I swear I could smell that cooking and wanted to grab the finished product with the tatties and carrots.This is different to my nana's way of making it but I am going to try it out.Thanks for posting and looking forward to some more easy and tasty dishes.👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😁

[yodinosaur]

I used to make that, my version, on a Saturday and let it simmer all day while I did my housework. I served it over a plate of chips. I still make batches of it, 50years later, for the freezer. It's a great go to.

[bigmanmark]

I’m almost 19 and could burn Cereal, thanks for the tips Pete your a legend!

[noelhayward]

Hi Pete, Thank you for the recipe, I remember my mum making savoury mince in the 50s and 60s in my home town of Yallourn in Australia. Now many years later and as a resident in Sweden for 24 years, you have reminded me of it again and I look forward to making it.

[MrMikeyt]

Hello from Huntington West Virginia Pete I'm New to your channel and just subscribed. This dish looks amazing and delicious.
I do believe I'll give it a try ☺️
Thanks so much for sharing !

[donaldmackillop]

Superb tutorial, clear, concise, a breeze to follow, and delicious to eat. Many thanks.

[glamdolly]

As a Brit I was raised on minced beef like this, we must have had it once a week with buttery mashed potatoes and some kind of side veg, carrots, broccoli, green beans, leeks etc. Which is really just a deconstructed cottage pie!

Minced beef feeds a crowd cheaply and easily, and made properly (with plenty of pre sauteed/softened onion, plus garlic added later, then all the ingredients simmered low and slow with added water for at least an hour before thickening), it's absolutely delicious! Minced lamb is yummy too, and rings the changes as it's quite a different but equally good flavour.

Sadly some people have been put off mince because they were unlucky and had it cooked by someone who didn't know how to make it properly. Nothing worse than watery mince, with chunks of raw/undercooked onion and carrots floating in it! That's the end result when the cook rushes the cooking, and doesn't appreciate that onions in particular (and ideally the other veg incorporated, eg carrots & celery), must have a head start on the meat.

And as you rightly say, mince may look cooked after 20 minutes, but you won't get a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth taste and texture without simmering it low and slow for around an hour. You understand this traditional British dish, and you did it justice, Bravo!


I love that you showed how the crafty addition of a few dashes of this and that from your store cupboards, eg tomato puree, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce etc, really improve the flavour. I part company on the OXO Cube, only because I think there are better stock cubes on the market. In recent years I've become a huge fan of the Knorr 'jelly' pots, particularly good for gravies. They have really authentic, fresh savoury/meaty flavour, and come in different varieties, eg beef, chicken and even an onion gravy version that's great with toad in the hole. I also add a few shakes of garlic and onion powder to my mince, even though there are already onions and garlic in it - I feel it adds a certain je ne sais quoi!

I like the frozen peas addition, particularly great if you're making this as a cottage pie, as then it really is a complete meal out of one oven dish with meat, potatoes and a green vegetable.

This excellent video just appeared in my feed, as I watch a lot of YouTube cooking shows - I was very impressed and am about to check out your other recipes. Many thanks and stay safe & well my friend!