Roast Beef

Method

1. Take the 250 g piece of beef out of the fridge a full hour before cooking so it roasts evenly. Pat it thoroughly dry with kitchen paper, then rub it all over with 1 tsp of the dripping, 1 tsp of English mustard powder, 0.5 tsp of flaky salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan).
2. Make a trivet in a small roasting tin with 1 small onion cut in half, skin on, and 1 small carrot cut into thick lengths. Sit the beef on top, fat side up, and trickle over the remaining 1 tsp of dripping. Raising the meat off the base stops it stewing and gives the gravy its backbone.
3. Roast on a high shelf at 240C for 15 minutes to colour the outside and start the fat rendering, then turn the oven down to 190C (170C fan) and roast for a further 15-18 minutes for medium-rare. A probe pushed into the centre should read 52-54C; allow 58C for medium.