Historically, there has been a long "French Connection" between Scotland and France. As a result, there has always been a fair amount of gastronomic interplay between the two countries. In particular, French wine, especially claret, was imported and used in cooking as well as being consumed in large quantities. Here is a recipe combining home produced beef with French claret.

• 5 ounces lean bacon
• 6�8 small young onions
• 2 cups chopped button mushrooms

• 3 lbs stewing steak
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 bottle fruity young Burgundy wine or beaujolais wine
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 bunch fresh herbs

Cook the bacon in a frying pan until it is lightly brown. Add the onions and cook uncovered for roughly ten minutes, then add the mushrooms, stir, cover and cook gently for a further ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 300F/150C/Gas Mark 2. Cut the stewing steak into cubes roughly 1�" square and heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the cubes of meat, then place in a casserole, add the garlic and sprinkle the flour over the meat. Place in the oven uncovered for 15 minutes to continue the browning process, stirring from time to time. Add the wine, light seasoning and herbs and over and simmer for 3 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove from the oven and stir in the trimmings. Heat for a further five minutes and serve with boiled potatoes sprinkled with chopped parsley.

If you have another bottle of Burgundy or Beaujolais to drink with the meal: so much the better!