One of life’s great mysteries: should chilli con carne have beans or not? Personally, I prefer the Texas-style chilli that omits the beans and focuses on the meat. But no matter how many times I make this dish, the end result tastes different every time. Beans or no beans, the secret to making a good chilli is to use actual dried ancho chillies (which you can find at Mexican food specialists), avoiding the powdered form which can be old and flavourless. This is a little controversial, but I love to add a block of dark chocolate to the chilli, which adds a new level of complexity to the dish.