Corned beef hotpot. Yeah, I know. Sounds dead basic. Tinned meat and potatoes. But don’t sleep on this, because families have been getting through hard times for decades with this meal, and it’s still holding strong in 2025.
My nan used to make this every week when I was little. The whole house would smell delicious. Now I make it for my children and they eat it up. That’s three generations of people eating the same thing, which tells you something.
What Makes It So Good?
Right, let’s be real. £2 for a tin of corned beef. You have a bag of potatoes for about a quid. You also need an onion, some stock, and a small amount of butter. We will be cooking for four people and certainly less than five. When you are skint and tired and the kids are whingeing that they’re starving, then this is the solution.
It’s not posh food. You’re not going to see it on MasterChef. But after a long day of work when you really can’t be bothered? Shove it in the oven, put your feet up, and come back an hour and a half later. Done.
The old-fashioned corned beef hotpot my nan used to make had bacon in it too. She would fry the bacon first, then use the fat to cook the onions. Nothing wasted. That generation knew how to make the lowliest ingredients in the supermarket taste expensive.
How To Make Corned Beef Hotpot – The Proper Way
Okay, here’s how to do it. Not complicated. Just takes a bit of time.
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 180°C. Take a casserole dish and butter it. It needs to be buttered, or everything’ll stick.
- Step 2: Peel and thinly slice about 6–7 medium-sized potatoes. About as thick as a £1 coin. If you have a mandolin, great. If not, make do with a knife.
- Step 3: Cut one large onion. Peel and dice a couple of carrots if you like them. Not necessary but they bring a bit of colour to the dish.
- Step 4: Open your tin of corned beef and cut it up into pieces. And don’t mash it, just use rough big chunks.
- Step 5: Now for the layering part. First, line the bottom of your dish with a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Sprinkle some of the corned beef pieces on top, and then scatter some onion. More salt and pepper.
- Step 6: Continue on with those layers. Potatoes, seasoning, corned beef, onion. Use up everything. You can save your prettiest potato slices for the top — that’s what people will see.
- Step 7: Prepare 500 ml or so of beef stock. It’s fine with hot water and a stock cube. Here is where some people add a splash of Worcestershire sauce. I usually do.
- Step 8: Add the stock over the top of everything. It should get just over halfway up the dish. Not coating everything, but enough to keep it moist.
- Step 9: Cover with foil or a lid. Put it in the oven for an hour.
- Step 10: After an hour, remove the foil. Bung it back in there at a high heat for another 30 minutes until the top goes golden and crispy. That’s the best bit.
- Step 11: Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Makes it easier to dish up without it collapsing everywhere.
That’s it. That’s the corned beef hotpot recipe my family’s been using forever. There’s nothing fancy about it.
The Quick Version When You’re In A Rush
Look, sometimes you haven’t got two hours. I get it. Here’s the easy corned beef hotpot version that’s ready in 30 minutes.
Dice your potatoes instead of slicing them. Bung them in a big pan with some oil and chopped onion. Let them soften up for 10 minutes. Add your chopped corned beef, maybe some frozen veg if you’ve got it. Pour in stock, simmer for 20 minutes. Done.
Won’t look as pretty but tastes just as good. My mate Sarah makes this version twice a week because her three kids demolish it and she works late.
Corned Beef Hotpot Slow Cooker For Work Days
The corned beef hotpot slow cooker method is brilliant if you’re out all day. Chuck everything in before work – potatoes, corned beef, onions, stock. Set it on low. Come home eight hours later to dinner ready.
The only downside is you don’t get crispy potatoes on top. But you can tip it in an oven dish and grill it for 10 minutes if you’re bothered. I usually can’t be bothered, to be honest. Just whack some gravy on it.
Made this last Tuesday. Got home at half six, house smelling gorgeous, dinner waiting. Chucked some frozen peas in at the end. Sorted.
Making It Different
The basic, easy corned beef hotpot with potatoes can go loads of ways. Add cheese between the layers; cheddar’s best. Chuck in a tin of baked beans to make it go further (sounds weird, tastes good). Use sweet potatoes instead of normal ones if you’re feeling adventurous.
Some people look at corned beef hotpot BBC Good Food recipes and get all precise about it. Making proper gravy from scratch, getting the layers exact. Fair play if you’ve got time for that. Most nights I’m just trying to get food on the table before everyone starts eating cereal.
My cousin adds paprika to his. My sister throws in whatever frozen veg needs using up. There are no rules really. That’s why it works.
Different Names, Same Thing
Up north they call it panackelty. Some places say pan haggerty. Tattie pot if you’re in Lancashire. All basically the same thing: layers of potato and meat baked in a dish. We’ve been eating this for hundreds of years in Britain. That’s got to mean something.
The Bacon Version
The old fashioned corned beef hotpot with bacon is next level. Fry some diced bacon until it’s crispy. Cook your onions in the fat. Add that to everything else. My nan always used bacon, which she thought was cheap and tasty.
Add a teaspoon of Marmite to your stock and see. Sounds mental but it works. Gives it that robust savoury flavour which makes you go back for seconds.
What You Need In Your Cupboard
Here’s what I keep in for making this:
- Tins of corned beef (always have two spare)
- Stock cubes
- Bag of potatoes
- Onions
- Butter
That’s it. Everything else is optional. Carrots, peas, whatever. But those five things mean you can always make corned beef hotpot when money‘s tight or you can’t get to the shops.
Serving It Up
I serve this with bread and butter. Some people do crusty bread for dipping in the gravy. My kids like it with beans on the side, which is probably overkill but whatever makes them eat it.
Green veg on the side is nice if you’re trying to be healthy. Runner beans or cabbage work well. But honestly? Peas from a tin are fine. This isn’t posh food. It’s comfort food.
Tips That Actually Help
- Season each layer as you go. Don’t just chuck salt on at the end or the middle bit tastes of nothing.
- Use hot stock, not cold. Cold stock takes forever to heat up and messes with your cooking time.
- If your top isn’t browning, brush melted butter on the potatoes before the final blast in the oven.
- Let it rest after cooking. Makes serving it so much easier.
When It Goes Wrong
- Sometimes it’s too watery. That’s because you used too much stock. Next time use less, or thicken it with gravy granules at the end.
- Sometimes the potatoes on top burn before the middle’s cooked. Cover it with foil for longer; give the middle time to cook through properly.
- Sometimes it’s bland. That’s a seasoning issue. More salt, more pepper, maybe some Worcestershire sauce.
You learn by making it. The first time might not be perfect. That’s normal.
Why Tinned Corned Beef Gets Stick
Yeah, tinned meat isn’t trendy. It’s the one that people hear and people wrinkle their noses about. But you know what? It lasts forever in the cupboard, it’s cheap and it may taste good if cooked right.
My nan raised four kids on meals like these. There was no one who had died from eating corned beef.
It’s all fancy ingredients and expensive recipes these days. Sometimes the simple stuff that’s been around forever is that way because it works.
Making It Stretch
Need to feed more people? Add another tin of corned beef and more potatoes. Easy.
Want it to go further? Bung in a tin of beans or some frozen mixed veg. Bulks it out without costing much more.
Got leftover roast potatoes? Use them instead of raw ones. Cuts your cooking time down too.
The Bottom Line
Corned beef hotpot isn’t fancy. You’re not going to impress the lads with it. But it is honest, filling food that doesn’t break the bank. When you are tired and cold and can’t be bothered with anything complex, it is perfect.
My nan made it for decades. I make it now. My kids will likely make it for their children one day. The thing with true comfort food is that it sticks because it really does matter.
So next time you’re in the grocery store, pick up a tin of corned beef. Get some spuds. Give it a go. Even if it doesn’t turn out brilliantly the first time, it will be better than a takeaway and about half the price.
That’s real cooking. Nothing to show off, just to feed people properly. And every so often, that is exactly what you want.
