Shepherd's pie is such a delicious meal and a staple in our household, so I've given this old classic a new twist by slow cooking the lamb first, and using the shredded lamb meat instead of lamb mince in the pie. It enhances the flavour for the pie, and makes the filling super tender! You can chuck the shanks in the slow cooker in the morning, so they're ready to use for your pie when you get home from work at the end of the day. Perfect.

Brown the lamb shanks in a frying pan with the butter and set aside. Add the chopped white onion, and garlic to the pan to soften. Turn up the heat, add the wine and let it bubble for 30 seconds or so to burn off the alcohol. Transfer to a slow cooker along with the lamb shanks, beef stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, diced carrot, and fresh rosemary leaves. Make sure the lamb shanks are well covered by the liquid. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4-5 hours.

Your lamb meat should be nice and tender when you remove it from the slow cooker. Pull the meat off the bone with a fork, and set aside in a bowl. Discard the lamb shank bones, and put your pulled lamb meat back into the slow cooker with the sauce, and add a large splash of Worchestershire sauce, and mix until well combined. If the sauce/lamb mixture's a bit thick, and lacking moisture, you can add another half a cup of beef stock (optional).

Heat the oven to 180c. Go ahead and make your potato mash. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain, then mash with the butter, milk and salt and pepper.

Pour the lamb and sauce mixture from the slow cooker into an ovenproof dish. Top with the mashed potato, and spread it evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is starting to colour and the sauce is bubbling at the sides.

Serve with steamed green veg.