Roast Rump Beef Stuffed with Onions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4 and take the meat from the fridge, removing any packaging, to bring up to room temperature.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add cloves, star anise, cinnamon, 100ml of the wine, orange zest and juice and onions. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins, before adding the sugar.

3. Stand off the heat for 5 mins, then mix in the breadcrumbs and mushrooms, and leave to cool.

4. Then add the leaves from one of the thyme sprigs and season with black pepper.

5. If your joint of beef has a string vest, remove it and pull the meat apart where it separates naturally, width-ways. Flatten it out, making small insertions to make it double its width and flat.

6. Spoon the breadcrumb mixture onto the meat and spread it to cover. Roll it up like a roulade and then tie three or four pieces of kitchen string around it to fix in place. Place in a large roasting tin and roast 1 hour for rare, 1 hour 10 mins for medium and 1 hour 15 mins for well done, basting every 20 mins.

7. Place the roulade on a sheet of tin foil and wrap up. Leave to rest for 10 mins before cutting.

8. In a large frying pan, heat the juices from the roasting tin, then add the cornflour and stir, cooking for 1 min, until a paste. Mix in the remaining wine and stir until thick, then add the stock gradually, until thick and smooth.

9. Serve with the beef, garnished with the remaining thyme sprig.