Duchesse - if that blanket's bobblemeat. it's cheap, fatty bobblemeat ;) Are you on Ravelry, by any chance?
For the record, when I make savoury mince, it's a long, slow process. I chop up equal amounts of celery (yes!) onion and carrots (and very occasionally, if I have some, swede) very finely. I first saute the celery in the bare minimum of oil to ensure it's properly dead (ie, no raw taste left, or else the meal is ruined for me already), add in the mince (good quality stuff, usually Aberdeen angus or organic) and brown it, then add in the onions and carrots to soften them. I stir in a spoonful of flour and cook it off, then add in dried thyme, loads of worcester sauce, enough black pepper to make my wrists ache, a squirt of tomato puree and enough good quality beef stock (I like the M&S concentrate in a jar - even expensive cubes are all e numbers and salt) to get it all moving. I bring it to simmering point, put the lid on and leave it on a low heat for at least 1.5 hours. After that time, I might add some frozen peas for colour, or else some mushrooms (never both. ick!)
As for taties, if they're nice and waxy, then boiled. If not, mash is the way to go. I also like something green on the side, or, in contrast, cauliflower cheese. And as someone mentioned upthread, I always make enough for 2 days, because then the second day is an easy meal and tastes so much better.
These days, I tend more often to make mince into spag bol or non-chilli con carne, simply because they go down so much better with the boys.