Preheat oven to 320F/160C.

Dice the onion and slice the bacon.

Warm a dish suitable for the oven over a medium heat. Add the bacon and cook a couple minutes until the fat starts to render. Then add the onion and cook around 5min until soft but not browning. Add a little oil if needed if the onions seem to be browning.

Dice the beef, if not already cut, into bite-sized pieces. Add to the pot and brown on all sides. Increase the heat if needed to brown properly without too much juice being released.

While its browning, slice the carrots then add to the pan, cook for a minute then add the thyme, stout and sugar. Mix well then transfer tot he oven to cook for approx 2 hours.

Works well served with mashed potatoes, but you could also try other mashed roots or rice.