There is something deeply heartening and heartily deep about a shepherd’s pie on a cold day. Rich, lamb and earthy vegetables in a luscious thick gravy baked under a heaped mountain of mashed potato. This is heaven on a plate.

But first, let’s clear up some widespread confusion: Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb (hence the Shepherd). Cottage Pie is a similar pie made with beef. Similarly, sweetcorn is not a traditional inclusion in this dish which hails from the British Isles where corn is not a native crop.

Most people will be familiar with

Be careful spooning potato onto the pie filling, too much or too enthusiastic could see it sink or blending with the filling.