Brown meat in a skillet. Keep meat from touching one another, and use tongs to roll pieces to be browned on most sides. You’re looking for a little bit of a crusty texture, but not burned. It will take several batches to get through the 2 pounds of meat.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the 4 cups water, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 60 to 90 minutes. Keep an eye on the water level and add more as needed to keep meat just submerged.
Remove bay leaves. Add carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer.
Mix cold water and flour into a slurry, and add slowly to the stew while stirring.
Return to a boil for 5 minutes.
We usually like to get one of the round loaves of crusty bread from the bakery section (a sourdough or rustic italian or something similar) and cut thick slices to have with the stew.