Going to make a Spag Bol tonight from scratch for the first time, what do you think of this recipe? Would you change anything?

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Brown mince with onions and garlic.
Add mushrooms and grated carrot.
Add tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, oxo cube and teaspoon of sugar.
Leave for 30 mins.
Add basil 5 mins from end.

Do you think that is dried or fresh basil?

Fresh basil and I think that sounds great, I might just leave out the sugar and add a squirt of ketchup instead and a dash of lee and perrins is nice if you have it too.

Either or. both fine but fresh nicer.

Sounds good. I might add some water too, depends on how runny you like it.

It would be dried if there is an oxo cube in it.

It sounds fine to me.

But i would add some dried herbs at the beginning, but then we like ours quite herby.

Bay leaf, worcester sauce and I use a chicken stock cube rather than beef (that's what my mother always did and she got her recipe from an Italian friend). I cook mine for 2 hours on a very gentle simmer. I think the basil must be fresh if it is only cooked for 5 minutes.

I would start by dicing (small) carrots, celery and onion.

Don't brown those but cook on v low heat for 10 mins til soft and then add some garlic and the mince and brown. Also chuck in some lardons or chicken livers if you have.

Then add tomatoes, sugar if you want and a large splash of milk, some stock and a splash of red wine too.

I would then cook on v low heat for longer than 30 mins to reduce the tomatoes rather than adding puree, add more tomatoes maybe?

oh and oregano and basil

def bayleaves, but i don't like red wine in mine... personal taste...
i add dried herbs early and fresh basil at the end.

cd - why milk? v interesting, not heard that?

dunno I just alway have!

Also I use half buffalo half pork mince

Pancetta and red wine (no carrots) in our house.

I would use a better stock than oxo tbh. I also add

celery
courgettes
red pepper
yellow pepper
peas (to sweetened it up a little)
mushrooms

(basically any veg I have, great way to get loads of veg into DD)

oregano
basil
lee & perrins

no puree or sugar.