James Martin served up a tasty pearl barley risotto with beer braised beef cheeks and onions on James Martin: Home Comforts.

James says: “Try this hearty dish in the slow-cooker – start it off in the morning and it will be fall-apart tender by dinner time.”

The ingredients for the beer-braised beef cheeks: 2 beef cheeks, fully trimmed, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 1 bay leaf, 1 small bunch fresh thyme, 500ml full-flavoured amber ale, such as Riggwelter, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 litres beef stock and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the garnish: 2 small white onions, peeled, 500ml full-flavoured amber ale, such as Riggwelter and 1 lemon, cut in half, 4 sticks salsify, scrubbed and 50g butter.

For the pearl barley risotto: 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed, 200g pearl barley, soaked in cold water for 1 hour then drained, 1 litre chicken stock, 100g fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped, 100ml double cream, 25g Parmesan, finely grated, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and 1 beef stock cube, crumbled, to serve.