Beef Wellington for two

To make the mushroom mixture, finely chop the mushrooms in a food processor. Warm the oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Add the mushrooms and fry with a pinch of salt, stirring often, for 7-8 minutes until developing a lovely dark colour. Add the brandy (if using), garlic and thyme, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Blanch the spinach leaves in a large pan of boiling water for 20 seconds, then drain and transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool. Drain well, then spread the individual leaves out flat on a clean tea towel to dry.

Rub the beef with 1 tsp oil and season well. Preheat a large frying pan over a high heat, add the beef and sear for 5 minutes, turning frequently until all sides are sealed and browned. Remove from the heat and transfer to a wire rack to cool (about 30 minutes). When cool, brush with the mustard.

Lay a large sheet of baking parchment on the work surface. Put the ham slices on top, shortest ends towards you, overlapping slightly, to form a rectangle just longer than the length of the beef and large enough to enclose it completely when rolled up. Do the same with the spinach leaves, overlapping each one so there are no holes, and layering up if necessary. Spread the mushroom layer on top. Lay the beef at the edge closest to you. Using the baking parchment, wrap the ham, spinach and mushroom layer around the beef, including the ends of the fillet, to form a parcel. Twist the baking parchment ends to secure. Chill for 30 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the fridge. Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 tsp cold water in a small bowl. Dust the work surface with flour and roll the pastry out into a rectangle about 25x27cm, or large enough to enclose the whole parcel. Unwrap the beef parcel and lay it along one long edge of the pastry. Brush the opposite edge with the egg wash, then roll the beef up in the pastry to form a neat parcel. Fold the ends in to seal neatly (as if wrapping a present) using the egg wash as ‘glue’. Lift onto a tray, cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7 and heat a baking tray for 10 minutes. Brush the pastry with the remaining egg wash, lightly score a cross-hatch pattern on the top with a sharp knife. Line the hot baking sheet with baking parchment and lay the Wellington on top. Bake for 22 minutes for rare, then remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with the gravy and seasonal veg, if using.