Nothing beats a stew on a cold, winter's day. Well, nothing except a stew with some flaky pastry, dumplings or golden cobbler on top
Beef stew with cheddar cobbler topping
Beef stew with cheddar cobbler topping. Photograph: Colin Campbell Colin Campbell/Colin Campbell

It's now properly chilly here, and there are few things more tempting on a cold day than a slow-simmered, savoury stew bobbing with dumplings, topped with flaky pastry or sealed with a scone-y crust - all provide ballast and a pleasing texture, and also absorb the meaty juices. So, if anything stays still long enough at the moment, it gets some kind of a doughy crust.

Least conventional, but by no means least rewarding, is the savoury cobbler. A few weeks ago we ran some recipes for traditional fruity cobblers. Well, the River Cottage kitchen was so taken with the cobbler concept that we went into doughverdrive, experimenting with cheesy, herby versions atop our stews. So I hope you will indulge our new passion. Naturally, I'm keen for you to try all today's recipes, but I hope you'll create your own. Use the cobbler or dumpling recipes and adjust to suit the filling: pork and apple stew with sage and onion dumplings, say; or root vegetable and bean stew with parmesan dumplings - they all work.

Of course, pies have always been popular round these parts. And winter weekends are the ideal time to master rough puff pastry. Just pop your favourite stew in a pie dish and top with this meltingly flaky crust. Such a pie makes a happy second home for leftovers, too: pile on to a pie plate or ovenproof dish (a generous filling keeps the pastry elevated, so, rather than using a pie funnel, just cut a small hole in the top to let steam escape), brush the edges of the dish with egg, lay on the pastry and trim to fit. Brush with egg to glaze and bake at 200C/400F/gas mark 6 for half an hour.

So, in answer to the question, "Who ate all the pies?" for this week at least, it was me. For good measure, I also nobbled the cobblers and did for the dumplings ...

Beef stew with cheddar cobbler topping

A one-pot wonder, though you may want some buttery savoy cabbage on the side. Serves six to eight.

50g butter or dripping, plus extra
250g salt pork, pancetta or bacon, cut into smaller cubes than the beef
500g baby onions, peeled
1.5kg stewing beef or shin, trimmed and cut into generous chunks
Up to 50g seasoned plain flour
300ml stout
500ml beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
A few stalks fresh parsley
Salt and ground black pepper
400g mixed mushrooms

For the cobbler

180g self-raising flour
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
100g cheddar, grated
1 big handful chives, chopped
2 large eggs
70ml whole milk

Heat the butter in a big frying pan and brown the pancetta until the fat runs. Transfer to a casserole. In the same fat, gently fry the whole baby onions until lightly browned. Transfer to the casserole. Toss the beef in the flour, shake off any excess, then brown, in batches, transferring to the casserole when coloured. Pour some stout into the pan to deglaze it, then tip into the casserole, along with the remaining beer and enough stock to cover. Add the herbs, tied into a bouquet garni, and season. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer and put on the lid. Place in the oven at 130C/250F/gas mark 1 for an hour and 45 minutes. Just before the time is up, raise the heat to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Sauté the mushrooms in butter until their moisture evaporates and they colour.

Sift the flour and salt, rub in the butter and stir in the cheese and chives. Whisk the eggs and milk, and stir into the flour mix - it should be fairly sloppy. Tip the mushrooms and their juices into the casserole, then drop spoonfuls of cobbler dough all over the top. Brush lightly with more milk and bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes until the cobbler is golden.

Chicken and cider stew with rosemary dumplings

The key to light, fluffy dumplings is, well, a really light touch. Don't work them for longer than it takes to bring them together. Serves six to eight.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
250ml cider
1 small handful chopped marjoram
2 large boiling potatoes, peeled, each cut into 12 pieces
3 large carrots, peeled, cut into rounds
2 large parsnips, peeled, cut into rounds
2 medium turnips, peeled, cut into 1½-inch pieces
750ml chicken stock
Salt and black pepper

For the dumplings

115g self-raising flour
115g fresh white breadcrumbs
115g suet
2 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
A few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole over a medium-high heat. In batches, brown the chicken, about eight minutes per batch, then transfer to a bowl. Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the casserole, add the onions and sauté over medium heat until just turning golden, about eight minutes. Add the garlic, sauté for a minute, then add the cider and half the marjoram, and simmer until reduced by half. Add the chicken, scatter on top the vegetables and remaining marjoram, pour over the stock and season. Bring to a simmer, cover, then place in a lowish oven (140C or so) for two hours. Add the dumplings for the final 45 minutes.

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

Rough puff pastry

I know it's time-consuming to make pastry, but the rolling and turning is rather satisfying and it freezes well, so make two or three times as much as you need and freeze.

200g cold butter or lard, or a mixture
400g plain flour
1 pinch salt
Iced water
1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tsp of milk (or water), to glaze

Toss the fat in the flour and salt until coated, then add a little iced water and bring the dough together with your hands, adding no more water than you need to get a medium-firm dough that is not too sticky and has large pieces of fat in it. On a well-floured surface, use your hands to shape the dough into a fat rectangle and roll it out with a well-floured rolling pin, rolling away from yourself in one direction to keep the rectangular shape as much as you can. When it's about 2cm thick, fold the far third towards you and fold the near third over that (a bit like folding a letter), so you have a rectangle a third of the size and three times as thick. Repeat this folding and turning at least four times, preferably six or seven, dusting lightly with flour as you go. Fold it up for a final time and chill for at least an hour before rolling out for your pie.

Five things to go in your pie

Ham, leeks and cheese
Roast root veg and goat's cheese
Sausage, mushroom and lots of onion
Pheasant, chestnuts and cranberries
Four-and-twenty blackbirds

River Cottage 2009, a seasonal guide to the year with a week-to-view diary, costs £9.50 (plus p&p), from