This would make a lovely alternative to turkey on Christmas Day – and it’s served with a delicious port and mushroom sauce!

Win a Welsh beef hamper worth £100 – hurry though, closing date is Dec 7 2020!

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 45min
Cooking time: 3hr

1. Rub the beef fillet with the oil and season well. Preheat a large frying pan over a high heat, add the meat and sear on all sides for around 5min, until golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled (around 15min) brush with the mustard.
2. Meanwhile soak the porcini mushrooms in the boiling water until softened (around 20min). Remove from the liquid (reserve for later), squeeze dry and chop finely.
3. Finely chop the chestnut mushrooms or use a food processor. Heat the butter in a large frying pan and add the crushed garlic, chestnut mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, seasoning and thyme leaves. Leave to cook until the water has evaporated (around 20min). Leave to cool completely and reserve a quarter of the mushrooms for the sauce.
4. Lay 3 large sheets of cling film, overlapping on a work surface. Place the prosciutto on top, overlapping the edges to make one sheet large enough to wrap the fillet. Spread three quarters of the mushroom mixture over the prosciutto then sit the meat on top and spread with the remaining mushroom mixture on top. Roll the prosciutto around the beef using the cling film then wrap tightly and chill for 15min.
5. On a floured surface roll the pastry into a square or rectangle big enough to wrap the fillet – approximately 35cm square. Trim to neaten and roll the edges of the joining sides a little more thinly. Brush the edges with the beaten egg then remove the cling film from the meat and position it in the middle of the pastry. Wrap the pastry along the length of the fillet, overlapping slightly at the join. Fold up each end like a parcel and transfer to a lightly greased plate seam side down. Lightly score the pastry at 1cm intervals and decorate with the remaining pastry. Brush the wellington with egg wash all over, press on the decorations and brushing again with the egg wash. Chill for 20min (or up to 12hr if you wish).
6. To make the sauce, pour the port into a pan with the reserved mushroom mix and bring to a boil. Simmer until the port has reduced then add the stock and porcini mushroom liquid and simmer for a further 10min until syrupy. Season then stir in the butter. Set aside.
7. Preheat the oven to 200ºC, Fan Oven 180ºC, Gas Mark 6 and heat a baking tray for 5min. Line the baking tray with greaseproof paper and lay the wellington on top. Cook for 35min for rare or 40-45min for medium. Cover with foil if the pastry starts to catch. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10min before slicing and serving with the sauce.