Traditional lasagne!

This is so tasty. It takes sometime to prepare, but it's a great dish to make ahead and pop it in the oven when you're ready.

Serves 6

For the sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
900g/2lb minced beef 
2 onions roughly chopped 
4 sticks celery diced 
2 garlic cloves, crushed 
2 level tbsp plain flour  
150ml/¼ pint beef stock
1 tbsp sugar 
3 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp chopped thyme
2 x 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes 
For the sauce
50g/2oz butter
50g/2oz plain flour
750ml/1¼ pints hot milk
2 tsp Dijon mustard
50g/2oz parmesan cheese, grated 
salt and pepper
For the lasagne
10-12 sheets lasagne
75g/3oz cheddar cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. 

2. For the sauce, heat a large frying pan until hot and add the oil. Cook the mince until browned all over. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate. Add the onion, celery and garlic to the pan and cook until softened. Return the meat to the pan and stir in the flour. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the sugar, tomato purée and thyme, then stir well. 

3. Stir in the canned tomatoes. Bring to the boil again, cover and simmer in the oven for 1-½ hours, or until the beef is tender. 

4. For the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook over the heat for one minute. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, whisking until thickened. Add the Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese and season well with salt and pepper. 

5. For the lasagne, put one third of the meat sauce in the base of a 2.3 litre/4 pint shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon one third of the white sauce on top. Arrange one layer of lasagne sheets on top. Season. Spoon half of the remaining meat sauce on top and then half of the white sauce. Put another layer of lasagne sheets on top, then the remaining meat sauce and remaining white sauce. Sprinkle over the cheddar cheese. 

6. Leave for six hours before cooking so that the pasta can start to soften. 

7. Preheat the oven temperature to 200C/400F/Gas 6. 

8. Cook in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes- or until golden brown on top, bubbling around the edges.
✔️Top tip: make the day before, pop in the fridge overnight and pop in he oven when you're ready. It will take a little longer 1-1:30 and cover with foil initially so the top doesn't catch. Remove 20-30 mins before the end of cooking time.