I made this stew this weekend. It took a good hour and a half of active prep time. The grocery store didn't have fresh thyme, so I crunched up some dried and it worked well. I also used beef stock instead of chicken stock. Finally, I put it over boiled potatoes. There's not enough liquid to boil the potatoes while the stew cooks, but putting it over them was good. It was hard work, but a nice way to spend a day off.