Yummy beef stew - cheap too

Ok, so I didn't entirely make this up myself, I got the quantities of beef to liquid from various internet recipes but the rest is mine alone!

It makes enough for four hungry people if served with swede/potatoe and a vegetable.

400g beef suitable for slow cooking - stewing, braising etc
oil, preferably something flavourless like vegetable
4 tablespoons plain flour
2 pinches each celery seeds and savoury
3 pinches dried sage
salt and pepper
6-8 shallots, the smaller the better, peeled
2-3 carrots
1 can tomatoes
water
small bottle red wine (one of those third size bottles they sell for single people!)

Add the herbs to the flour, season and stir. Toss the beef pieces in the flour and fry in a dutch oven in the oil, in batches so they can brown without getting steamy. Don't worry about cooking them through, they only need browning on the edges, it will get fully cooked later.

When all the beef is browned add it all to the pot with the remaining flour, shallots, carrots, tinned tomatoes and wine. Also, fill the tin half full with water and add it.

Put the lid on and cook it in the oven for about an hour and a half at 180 degrees C.

Serve with a green vegetable and some form of carbohydrate. With stew, I have a preference for swede that stems from my childhood.

Yummy!

For the really budget conscious amongst my non-existent readership, you could substitute other English herbs in instead of buying celery seed, savoury or sage specially. Thyme would work well.