This domestic goddess business is not all about woollen garments and that box of beads desperately waiting for my attention. Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mr Oliver have this week inspired me to return to my old kitchen habits and dig out the slow cooker (those of you who are my Facebook friends will know the disastrous consequences of that) and fling in some vegetables and meat for my husband's tea. The little girl wasn't too impressed with my offering, but since she has had very little exposure to beef I am not entirely surprised by that. And of course since no meat has passed my lips since about 1990 I wasn't about to taste it either. But Himself was happy enough with the resulting stew and a good job it is too since I made enough for about a week.
I cannot extol the virtues of a slow cooker enough and I must urge everyone to get one. It really is a simple matter of taking all your left overs, or that bit of meat you have and those old, tired looking vegetables at the bottom of the rack and flinging them in with some good stock or gravy (or instant granules if that's all you have and it is usually all that is in my cupboard if I'm honest) Brown the meat if you must but I draw the line at peeling the veg other than a cursory removal of the brown papery onion skin. A bit of a bay leaf, a smattering of parsley or thyme, or both if you're feeling generous and leave well alone for at least 8 hours. Barely more than 20 minutes work, and your other half will reward you with a sloppy kiss and proclamations of endless love. Or something similar.
See, this domestic goddess malarky is a bit of a cinch really, isn't it.
