Pie, of the cottage variety

I haven't made many shepherd's or cottage pies. They aren't my favorite thing, but once in a while they're a nice change of pace and The Boy made a request. Since I got ground beef out of the freezer with no real plan for it, pie was inevitable. Since the Brits seem to eat savory pies five out of seven days a week, I searched the BBC Good Food site for a recipe and settled on this one. I scaled it down but followed it fairly closely, ingredient-wise. I definitely simplified the process, eliminating the majority of all that simmering time. It was good, though I think I might leave the bay leaf out next time; the flavor can be pretty overpowering.