Slow Cooker Beef and Brown Ale Soup

I made a really good thing today with pork and cider which, while not technicaly soup, I will probably post when I can be bothered to write it up. But until then, here's another classic meat and booze combo that's a great soup for winter, making a cheap cut go a long way. I use Newcastle Brown for this soup. You could easily cook this on a hob, just cook it for 1 and a half to 2 hours on a low heat.

Ingredients

300g stewing steak, cut into little pieces
2 diced onions
1 tbsp seasoned flour
About half a pint of brown ale or stout
1 and a half beef stock cubes
2-3 tbsp pearl barley
100g thinly sliced mushrooms
1 large diced baking potato or swede if you prefer
2 diced carrots
2 tsp mixed herbs
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1tsp wholegrain mustard

Coat the steak in the flour and brown in a hot pan with the onions and some oil.

Transfer to the slow cooker with everything else.

Cover with boiling water and cook on LOW for 12-14 hours

Adjust seasoning to taste, remove the bay leaves and serve with crusty bread, your favourite cheese and more beer.