I love oxtail stew but it is a bit of a faff getting all the meat off the bones. Ox cheek, delivers all the flavour of oxtail without the faff! Long, slow braising is the secret to getting the meat tender and the prep is easy. So, once you’ve got it in the oven, you can get on with something else while it fills your kitchen with the most fragrant aroma. The finished ragout is quite rich so, for two of us, I served  half spooned over some crushed buttered Charlotte potatoes with a green side vegetable and saved the other half to stir through some pasta topped with sautéed mushrooms and Parmesan shavings. 

Serves four