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Beef Wellington is a classic British show-stopping centrepiece for a special occasion. This foolproof recipe shows you all the tips and tricks for perfecting it and how to prepare it ahead of time. Get ready to impress!
Beef Wellington is such an all-out show-stopper of a dish that I love to serve when I’m hosting a special meal at home – pop this on the table and everyone knows you’ve cooked from the heart!
It’s hearty and has mouthwatering flavour, filled with succulent, tender beef, an earthy, herby mushroom filling and wrapped in a delicate, crunchy (shop-bought) pastry.
If you’ve been wanting to give this British classic a try, I urge you to do it! While it might seem elaborate and daunting, it’s honestly not that tricky to make – simply follow the step by steps in the recipe below.
I always assemble the Beef Wellington well ahead of time to make sure there’s no stressful cooking taking place when friends and family have arrived.
Why you’ll love this Easy Beef Wellington recipe
⭐️ Impressive main course for a special meal
⭐️ Easy to make ahead of time
⭐️ Utterly delicious!
Sarah’s Notes
This is one dish I always make during the Christmas season when I am hosting a big dinner for family and/or friends.
I don’t know how the tradition started, but every time I make one of these I cut out pastry initials of everyone who is with us. ❤️
Here’s mine from last Christmas. It’s a fun and easy thing to try if you have leftover pastry and it always gets a lot of impressed ‘oooh and aaahhs’!
If you have vegetarian guests, you can always try out my meat-free Mushroom Wellington version.
Beef Wellington Ingredients
- Beef fillet – Find a centre cut piece for this which is an even length all the way along. Visiting a butcher for this is probably needed.
- Olive oil – This is to sear the meat in a pan.
- Dijon mustard – Spread on the beef for an extra hit of flavour.
- For the filing (AKA ‘duxelles’) – Chestnut mushrooms, shallot and fresh thyme. Duxelles is the French name given to a minced mixture of mushrooms and herbs to make up a paste-like filling or sauce base.
- Butter – This is for frying the mushroom mixture in.
- Prosciutto – You’ll need about 12-14 slices. This will form another layer around the beef fillet.
- Puff pastry – We’re using my go-to hack of using ready-rolled puff pastry (if you want to make your own pastry, go ahead, but using this kind is more than OK). Make sure you take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before working with it in the recipe.
- Egg – This is for the egg wash on the pastry to get that golden finish.
- Salt and pepper – Be sure to season the beef before cooking and the mushroom mixture too.
How to make Beef Wellington
1. Season the beef generously then sear the beef in hot oil on all sides until nicely browned. Brush all over with Dijon, then leave to cool (as per the full recipe below).
2. Pulse the mushrooms with the shallot and thyme leaves. Cook the mix until all the moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside to cool.
3. Lay cling film out and arrange the prosciutto slices on it. Spread the mushroom mixture evenly on, then place the beef in the middle and use the cling film to roll the prosciutto tightly around the beef. Chill in the fridge.
4. Roll out the puff pastry. Place the beef in the centre of it. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg, then fold the pastry and seal. Chill, brush with egg, score the pastry and bake, as per the full recipe below.
How to make in advance & storing
Beef Wellington is best eaten on the day you’ve cooked it.
However, you can make the mushroom duxelles and sear the beef up to 2 days ahead. Just keep everything in the fridge until you assemble the wellington.
The assembled wellington can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking too, which is perfect if you want to prep ahead.
(You may need to bake it for 5-10 minutes longer than the recipe says if it comes straight out of the fridge and into the oven.)
Freezing
You can also freeze the uncooked wellingtons for up to 3 months.
When you want to cook them, defrost them thoroughly in the fridge and bake as per the recipe.
How to cook to perfection
The best way to cook your beef perfectly – that is, to get that pink, tender, medium-rare stage for ultimate flavour – is to use a meat thermometer (this one is the best I’ve found to date.)
When the middle of the beef reads 48℃, take the wellington out of the oven and leave it to rest for 15 minutes. (This will be medium rare, cook for longer if you prefer.)
The beef will continue to cook a little as it sits.
Serve this with……
Side Dishes
Boulangère Potatoes
Side Dishes
Braised Red Cabbage
Side Dishes
Easy Cauliflower Cheese
Side Dishes
Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
FAQs
This recipe makes enough to serve 6 people, although you could give people bigger portions and serve fewer!
If you have a larger dining party, you could make a number of wellingtons.
Sure! They will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best results, reheat them covered in the oven, or in the microwave thoroughly.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Classic Beef Wellington {Easy Step-by-Step Recipe}
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) Beef fillet
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 600 g (1.3 lb) Chestnut mushrooms
- 1 Shallot, Roughly chopped
- 4 Sprigs of thyme, Leaves only
- 30 g (1 oz) Butter
- 12-14 Prosciutto slices
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Puff pastry
- 1 Egg, Beaten (for the egg wash)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Season the beef generously with salt and pepper then heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Sear the beef on all sides until nicely browned (about 2-3 minutes on each side), don’t forget the ends too.
- Remove the beef from the pan and pop on a plate to cool a little before brushing all over with the Dijon, then leaving to cool completely.
- Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor with the shallot and thyme leaves until finely chopped.
- Add the butter to the pan you browned the beef in and cook the mushroom mix over a medium high heat until all the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is dry (about 10-15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, then set aside to cool.
- Lay a large sheet of cling film on your work surface and arrange the prosciutto slices on the film, overlapping slightly, to form a rectangle large enough to wrap around the beef.
- Spread the cooled mushroom mixture evenly over the prosciutto then place the beef in the middle and use the cling film to roll the prosciutto tightly around the beef. Twist the ends of the film to seal it.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle large enough to fully enclose the beef (about 30cmx40cm). Remove the beef from the cling film and place it in the centre of the pastry.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg, then fold over and seal tightly. Trim any excess pastry then brush the outside with more egg wash. Chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200℃ fan/220℃/Gas Mark 7/390F and place a baking tray in the oven to get hot.
- Place the wellington on a large piece of parchment, brush once more with the beaten egg, then use a small sharp knife to lightly score a pattern onto the pastry, making sure not to cut all the way through, or decorate with pastry cut outs, sticking them on with egg wash.
- Carefully place the wellington on the hot tray and bake for 35–40 minutes for medium-rare, then leave the wellington so rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutritional values are per portion unless otherwise stated.
This post was originally published on November 18, 2025 and updated later to make improvements.
So delicious and easy to follow.
can u substitute the mushrooms for something else?
really want to try this but have mushroom hates 🙁
Out of this world! My best attempt yet. Thank you for the simple method Sarah.