We had such a special and memorable Christmas Eve dinner that it’s only fitting I capture the experience for posterity. It was the very first time my husband Paulo ever made Beef Wellington.

It came out great and he didn’t follow any particular recipe…. he just went on instinct!

He started by making the Duxelles to be used as stuffing for the Beef Wellington. He chose a variety of mushrooms, such as chestnut and oyster, and added some shallots and garlic.

A good quality piece of meat is essential. We got our beef fillet from the excellent Gog Magog Hills Farm Shop & Butchery. Paulo made a slit in the fillet for the Duxelles then seared the beef.

He sauteed the Duxelles ingredients and added some double cream.

Now came the tricky part – wrapping it all together. He started off with filo sheets and brushed on a little egg to help the sheets stay together.

He then stuffed the Duxelles in the slit and covered the beef fillet with the rest.

He carefully wrapped the beef fillet in the delicate filo sheets and packed it nicely.

More careful wrapping, this time in puff pastry sheets.

He brushed the whole thing with egg and even added a little decorative touch. It was then ready for the oven. I have no idea how long he baked it in the oven. He seems to have a natural instinct in knowing when meat is ready!

We were thrilled that it didn’t fall apart when it was transferred from the pan to the board!

The end result. Ta-dah! We served the Beef Wellington with a nice salad and some red wine!

Even though we thoroughly enjoyed our meal, the best part of the experience was taking on this challenge and succeeding!

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