Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

When the oven has reached temperature, heat a splash of sunflower oil in a large non-stick pan and sear the meat on all sides until just turning brown. If you are using sirloin or rig eye, you won’t need oil as you will start searing this meat on the fat cap.

Place all the vegetables and herbs onto the base of a sturdy roasting dish and drizzle with a little olive oil. This acts as trivet on which you place the meat to cook. Place the browned meat on top of the vegetables and herbs and roast in the oven until done to your liking. Work on 20 minutes per 500gms.

Rare: Out the oven @ 46°C/115°F – Final temp after resting – 49°C/120°F

Medium rare: Out the oven @ 48°C / 118°F – Final temp after resting –  52°C / 125°F

Medium: Out the oven @ 51°F/123°F – Final temp after resting –  55°F / 130°F

Medium well-done: Out the oven @ 53°C / 127°F – Final temp after resting – 57°C / 135°F

Remove from the oven and ready and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

While the meat is resting crank up the heat to 230C for the Yorkshire puddings if you are making them (the batter should have been made while the meat was roasting).

Carve the meat against the grain. If you're using a leaner topside, cut the slices very thinly. This is important when using slightly tougher cuts of meat. Watercress is a delicious garnish for roast beef.

To make the gravy, place the tray with all the cooked vegetables onto a burner on your stove and sprinkle over the flour.

Allow this to cook a little and absorb all the fat. Then deglaze the pan with the red wine and once that has been absorbed, add the stock. Stir and scrape the pan down and allow this to bubble for around 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Use a potato masher to squash all the vegetables and garlic down to release more flavour. Add the jam to the gravy and season to taste. Add more hot water if you prefer the gravy thinner.

Once it's ready, pass it through a coarse sieve and keep warm until serving. If necessary, put it in a small pot to keep warm.