Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/Gas Mark 4).

Place a large, oven-safe skillet or casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. Once warm, add the chopped onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.

Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.

Add the ground beef to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and cook until it's browned all over. If there's any significant amount of fat, carefully drain it off.

Stir in the smoked paprika, dried oregano, a generous pinch of salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Cook for one minute to toast the spices.

Pour in the chopped tomatoes, hot beef stock, tomato purée, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir everything together, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the uncooked rice and stir until it's evenly distributed. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.

Cover the pan tightly with a lid or a double layer of aluminium foil. Carefully transfer it to the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. What works best for me is checking right at the 25-minute mark to ensure the rice is tender but not overcooked.

Remove the pan from the oven. Take off the lid and stir in the frozen peas – the residual heat will cook them through in moments.

Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, for a final 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and just starting to turn golden brown at the edges. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.