brown the beef off in a pan on a high heat. make sure to do half the beef at a time to not over crowd. add to the slow cooker pot

roughly dice the onion and parsnip. thinly slice the garlic. add it all to the pot and the water/wine

add the tomatoes and crumble the stock cubes into the pot. add the bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper

put the lid on and leave for 4 hours

once the meat is tender and falls apart turn off the heat. using a holed spoon remove the meat. either transfer the juices to a pan and simmer until reduced. or as I like to do to make the juices richer sprinkle 2tbsp of beef gravy granules and mix in.

layer a pie dish with pastry then the meat. pour the juices (now gravy) over the top and top with more pastry. baste the lid with milk, melted butter or beaten egg. poke a couple of holes in the top and bake until pastry is golden brown

skip out the pastry and just enjoy as a rich hearty stew