Our island is built on wheat and barley, in the form of bread and beer. And although we think of bread as the staff of life, for centuries beer was no less important. When a glass of water could mean a dose of typhoid, farm labourers and urban workers alike slaked their thirst with ale. For them, beer wasn't just a drink. At the end of a long shift or a back-breaking day in the fields, they saw it as nutritious and vital, as well as thirst-quenching. Beer was the smoothie of the pre-industrial age.

Given its place in our history, and in our hearts, it's strange that in the kitchen we usually pass over our native drink in favour of wine. We've gone a long way towards shaking off our national culinary inferiority complex, and it's time we took beer with us on our onward mission. We make some of the finest beers in the world - OK, the finest - and as a cooking medium it is less acidic but more distinctly flavoured than wine. Next time you steam some mussels, forget white wine and add a light beer along with the garlic and herbs.

In truth, beer can do pretty much all the things in the kitchen that we usually ask of wine: deglaze a pan, marinade a piece of meat, add body and flavour to everything from casseroles to cakes. Darker beers and stouts are natural companions to meat, particularly beef. Try this week's stew, or any one of the many recipes for beef carbonnade, the classic beef and onion stew from that corner of Belgium where, in fairness, they also know a thing or two about beer. A ham can be cured in beer, cooked in beer and even glazed in beer. For the latter, stir light brown sugar, a pinch or two of mace and a tablespoon of mustard powder into a thick paste with a dark, malty beer and smother the criss-crossed fat with it before baking.

Then there is cheese. I hardly need to tell you that beer is great to quaff with cheese, but it's also great when you're cooking with cheese. I hope last week's Welsh rarebit recipe proved that point, but you can also add a good dash of ale to the sauce for macaroni cheese or even to a cheese soufflé.

It's not so surprising that the savoury, bitter edge of many beers adds something to gutsy savoury dishes. But you can exploit its malty elements in sweety, treaty baking, too. A stout fruit cake is classic, and some of the best Christmas pudding recipes use stout. I even add a good slug of Guinness to chocolate brownies (see recipe overleaf).

Beer is brilliant in batters. It not only adds a good, toasty flavour, but also acts as a raising agent, helping the batter to puff up pleasingly for outstanding crispness. It's perfect for chip shop-style fish, of course, and also works beautifully for apple fritters - use the same recipe as for our fish below, but instead of seasoning with salt and pepper, sweeten with a teaspoon of sugar.

Pollack in beer batter

The beer adds lightness and flavour to the batter. Many recipes say to rest batter before using, but we had better, lighter, crispier results using it straight away, before the beer lost its bubbles. This is also a great way to prepare squid rings. Serves four.

200g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting the fish

Groundnut oil, including plenty for deep frying (about 2 litres)

About 290ml good beer (anything but cheap lager), very cold

Salt and ground black pepper

About 700g pollack fillets (or mixed white fish of your choice)

Sift the flour into a bowl, add two tablespoons of groundnut oil, then gradually whisk in the beer, stopping when you have the consistency of thick emulsion paint. Beat to get rid of any lumps, then season generously.

In a large, deep, heavy-based pan, heat the oil to 190C, or until a cube of bread dropped in turns golden brown in one and a half to two minutes. Season the fish, then dust lightly with flour, shaking to remove any excess. Immerse a piece of fish in the batter, then lift it out and hold over the bowl for a few seconds to let excess batter drop back in. Lower the fish into the hot oil a piece at a time if using large portions, or in small batches for smaller pieces. Fry large pieces of fish for four to five minutes, smaller ones such as squid rings for two minutes or so, until golden brown and crisp. Scoop out with a wire basket or tongs, and transfer to a warmed dish lined with kitchen paper. Keep warm while you fry the remaining fish, then serve.

Beef in ale stew

This simple dish shows that you don't need a vast list of ingredients to create rich, rounded depth of flavour. Serve with dumplings (recipe follows), mash - or both. Serves six.

50g butter (or dripping)

250g salt pork, pancetta or slab bacon, cut into 2.5cm cubes

500g white onions, peeled, halved and sliced

1.5kg chuck or stewing beef, or shin (boneless weight), cut into large chunks of about 4cm

Up to 50g plain flour

Salt and ground black pepper

500ml good ale

500ml good beef stock

2 bay leaves

A few parsley stalks

Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the pancetta until the fat runs. Transfer to a casserole. Reduce the heat to low and in the same pan gently fry the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to turn golden - about 15 minutes. Transfer to the casserole. Toss the beef in seasoned flour, shaking off any excess, and in the same pan brown the meat in batches. Transfer it to the casserole when nicely coloured on all sides.

Pour some ale into the pan to deglaze, making sure you scrape up the tasty bits stuck to the bottom, then tip into the casserole. Pour the rest of the ale and stock over the meat, adding a little water if needed to cover the meat. Add the herbs, tied into a bouquet garni, and season. Bring to a boil, then simmer very gently, partially covered, for two and a half hours for chuck/stewing steak, three for shin, until the meat is really tender - do this on a hob or in a very low oven (120C/235F/gas mark ½). Add hot water if the meat gets exposed and starts to dry out. If you're making the dumplings, add to the stew for the last 45 minutes.

Herb dumplings

When we made these, we forgot to add the breadcrumbs and ended up with a really light and delicious dumpling. So it's up to you - for an airy dumpling, omit the breadcrumbs; for a rib-sticking affair, keep them in. Makes 12.

115g self-raising flour

115g fresh white breadcrumbs

115g suet

1 small bunch chives, finely chopped

1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped

A few thyme sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped

Salt and ground black pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, suet, herbs and some seasoning in a large bowl. Pour three-quarters of the egg into the bowl and stir to form a soft dough. Use your hands to work it until smooth - add the rest of the egg if it seems too dry. Divide the dough into 12 dumplings, drop into the stew and cook, covered, for 45 minutes.

Guinness and walnut chocolate brownies

A dark, intense and very grown-up treat - if you normally find brownies cloyingly sweet, these are the ones to convert you. Makes 16.

145g plain flour

80g unsweetened cocoa, plus a little extra for dusting

½ tsp salt

220g dark chocolate, around 70%, broken into small pieces

90g unsalted butter, cubed, plus a little extra for greasing

80g light Muscovado sugar

80g dark Muscovado sugar

4 eggs (at room temperature)

225ml bottled stout (ie, Guinness)

165g walnuts, in large pieces

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/ gas mark 3. Grease a 23cm x 30cm x 5cm baking tin with a little butter, then dust with a little cocoa. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into a bowl. Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Remove from the heat and tip the sugars over the top. Leave for two minutes, then stir. Beat in the eggs one at a time until you have a gorgeously glossy mixture. Stir in the stout, then fold in the flour, cocoa and two-thirds of the walnuts until just combined - don't overmix. Pour into the tin and sprinkle over the remaining walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes until just set in the middle - a skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

theguardian.com/hughfearnleywhittingstall

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