Luxury beef stew with dumplings

1) Preheat the oven to 175°C, Gas 4.
2) Put the beef into a glass bowl with the red wine, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cover with clingfilm and marinade in the fridge overnight.
3) When ready, drain the meat in a colander, reserving the marinade, and dry the pieces on kitchen paper.
4) Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan, lightly flour the meat with a tablespoon of the flour, season and fry the meat on a high heat until nicely browned. 
5) Heat the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed oven-proof dish or saucepan and gently fry the onion for a few minutes until soft. Add another tablespoon of flour and the tomato purée and stir over a low heat for a minute.
6) Slowly add the marinade, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming. Bring to the boil and simmer until it has reduced by half.
7) Add the beef stock, pieces of beef and carrots, bring back to the boil, cover with a lid and cook on the hob or in the oven for 1½-2 hours until the meat is tender.
8) Once cooked, the sauce should have thickened to a gravy-like consistency. If not, dilute a little cornflour in some water, stir into the sauce and simmer for a few minutes.
9) Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Sieve the flour (125g) and baking powder into a bowl and add half a teaspoon of salt. Mix in the suet and parsley, then add enough water to form a sticky dough.
10) Flour your hands and form the dough into 12 balls. Drop the dumplings into the stew and return to the oven with the lid off for about 20 minutes.