AS well as being the patron saint of England, St George is the patron saint of farmers. This should give you the perfect excuse to indulge your Englishness with a trip to this weekend’s farmers’ markets for some local ingredients to make a patriotic dish to celebrate the saint’s day on April 23.

Farmers’ markets are the wholesome proof that good English food is out there and that people want to buy it.

According to the latest figures from Defra, the number of producers making regional English food is on the increase, while six out of 10 shoppers actively try to buy local products. Join their number by making this timeless English classic – and disregard anyone who tells you it is just a British adaptation of the French boeuf en croute.

BEEF WELLINGTON

Serves 6

Ingredients

50g butter
900g beef fillet
2 large onions, sliced
100g mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 pinch of thyme
½ level tsp salt
Black pepper
400g packet of puff pastry, thawed (or make your own)
A little beaten egg (to glaze)

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C/ gas mark 7.

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the meat and fry quickly to brown, turning occasionally to seal in the juices on all sides. Allow to cool. Add the sliced onions to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further five minutes. Stir in the parsley, thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle measuring about 14 x 16in (35 x 40cm). Set the beef in the centre of the pastry and place the onion and mushroom mixture on top.

Cut a 1½in (3.5cm) square from each corner of the pastry and keep on one side. Fold up the pastry around the meat, turning up the ends first and then the sides, which should just overlap the meat to cover it completely.

Dampen the pastry with water or beaten egg where it overlaps so that it remains secure during cooking. Turn over, place on a baking sheet and brush the top with beaten egg. Cut the remaining pastry into leaf shapes and use to decorate the top. Brush with more beaten egg.

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes – one hour if you like beef to be pink in the centre. Serve at once with seasonal veg from your farmers’ market.

Today’s farmers’ market is in Abbey Road, Malvern, from 9am to 2pm, and tomorrow’s is in Angel Place, Worcester, from 9am to 3pm.