A good stew does not need a whole afternoon. With diced chuck and shin and a hot pan to start, you can have a deep, glossy stew on the table in well under two hours.
Pat 500 g of diced beef dry and season it well. Brown the pieces in a little olive oil in two batches, so they colour rather than steam, and set them aside. In the same pot soften two sliced yellow onions and two chopped carrots for ten minutes, then stir in a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of tomato paste.
Return the beef with a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme and enough stock to just cover. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for 90 minutes, stirring once or twice. The shin releases its collagen as it cooks and thickens the sauce by itself.
Serve with a chunk of sourdough to mop up the sauce. The stew tastes even better the next day, so it is worth doubling the recipe and freezing half.