Your chicken stash

You could use the remains from your Sunday roast chicken or if you wanted to create the basics for heaps of dishes you could slow cook a whole chicken

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

OR

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs OR add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold if you're not using it, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

You'll get approximately 250ml of stock from the chicken.

If you want to make your own stock - use a large saucepan, cover the carcass with water and any veggie stock you've got and bring to the boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it do its magic for 30/45 minutes. Strain the stock, cool, cover and set aside until you're ready – you may find more chicken to add to your stash.

You don't have to make your own chicken stock – I use Knorr Stock Pots – chicken or vegetable – if need be. These days you can get a “meat-free” chicken stock pot.

I always have leftover Charlotte potatoes in my fridge – an ideal way of avoiding waste!

You'll get cooked chicken too for sandwiches and a slaw or a curry, with noodles or a stir fry – the world is your lobster.

Or even a pie ...

Here's a take ...

... on warm salads. I know that's a contradiction since salad is meant to be cold but rules are made to be broken. My warm salad is a “gallimaufry” - meaning jumble or a medley if you prefer!

Chicken Gallimaufry

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts, sliced at an angle

(from slow cooking a whole chicken

recipe given in the post “Back to normal A Tickle Tray)

250ml chicken stock

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

350g red new potatoes, halved or quartered

should be 2cm ish.

Half a lemon cut in half

135g baby leeks, topped, tailed and cut into 1.5cm pieces

1 tbsp tapenade - 15ml

110g fine asparagus

Salt and pepper

Chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish

Pre-heat oven 200fan/220c/Gas 7.

Put the potatoes and lemon wedges into the foil tray you set aside after the slow cooking (or a medium roasting tin if you prefer) and toss with 1 tbsp of oil, season and roast for 20 minutes.

Turn down the oven to 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Snap the asparagus to remove the woody ends – they should be of a similar size - then blanch, plunge into ice cold water and pat dry. You can prep ahead if you wish, then box and fridge.

Toss the leeks in the remaining tbsp of oil and add to the potatoes. Add the tapenade and fold through. Bake for 10 minutes then add the blanched asparagus for 5 minutes, fold in gently with the potatoes.

Whilst the potatoes et al are baking warm the stock – you should get 250ml from your chicken after straining. (This recipe is based on a slow cooked whole chicken).

To assemble, divide the potatoes, leeks and asparagus between two large bowls – plates will do. Top with the sliced chicken breast – one breast per serving - and add a liberal drizzle of the stock. A sprinkle of parsley to garnish and a wedge of lemon.

There's a photo-guide too …

Method - Posh Chilli

Seal the diced steak in batches in a large frying pan using a drop of rapeseed oil then set aside in your slow cooker.

Gently fry your onion and garlic, using another drop of rapeseed oil if necessary. Add the spices and cook together so that the spices are able to release their deliciousness!

Add the passata and the chilli sauce and bring to the boil. Add to the sealed diced steak and then slow cook for 4 hours. Turn off and then leave to cool. Freeze in boxes to suit your needs – remember – you can pull out two boxes if you need to, rather than have to throw away from a larger quantity.

Defrost thoroughly in your fridge. Re-heat gently on the stove adding your kidney beans, sweet baby peppers or chorizo.

For the optional extras :

Use a large frying pan and fry the chorizo gently so that it releases its oil. Set the chorizo aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

Sauté the sliced, sweet baby peppers in the chorizo oil.

If you enjoy a spicy hit you can use mixed beans in a chilli sauce instead of ordinary red kidney beans.

Serve with rice if you like but I think it's fab in a bowl with a blob of sour cream served with some rustic bread of your choice on the side or with wraps with bowls of relish of your choice – mango would work well.

Freezing serves dishes like chilli or curry very well – the freezing process allows the spices to develop. Here's a thought – you could double the recipe and serve as a supper or as part of a larger supper buffet.

Hot food seems to go down so well and it's easier to cook and serve.

A veggie version ...

Chicken for the soup

You could push the boat out and cook a chicken this way – it's easy peasy and economical too. Alternatively you could use the remains from your Sunday roast and not bother!

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

OR

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs OR add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold if you're not using it, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

You'll get approximately 250ml of stock from the chicken and so make it up with a stock pot for the remaining 250ml

If you want to make your own stock - use a large saucepan, cover the carcass with water and any veggie stock you've got and bring to the boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it do its magic for 30/45 minutes. Strain the stock, cool, cover and set aside until you're ready – you may find more chicken to add to your stash.

You don't have to make your own chicken stock – I use Knorr Stock Pots – chicken or vegetable – if need be.

I always have leftover Charlotte potatoes in my fridge – an ideal way of avoiding waste!

You'll get cooked chicken too for sandwiches and a slaw or a curry, with noodles or a stir fry – the world is your lobster.

Next comes a Classy Chowder ...

Save time and money – Part 8

A Hungarian rhapsody

I'm sure it's no surprise that the “Hungarian” refers to goulash. This time of year when it's turning cold it's difficult not to get bored once you've exhausted all the old favourites.

Here's my latest thought, “zhuzhed” a little. These days goulash seems to be served with rice or, spatzle (a soft egg noodle). I'm an old fashioned kinda gal with certain dishes and goulash is one of them. I like to serve mine, as was done in the 70s, with new potatoes. The ultimate comfort food however you want to serve it – by the way don't forget the sour cream - stirring in or even a blob on top – optional of course.

Hungarian Goulash

Serves 4-6 depending on size of appetite

900g braising steak, diced

glug of rapeseed oil to seal the beef

1 large onion, chopped as finely as possible

*8 tbsp tomato ketchup

*2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

*1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

*2 tsps salt

*2 tsps Hungarian sweet paprika

*½ tsp mustard powder

300ml water

2 beef stock pots

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

small tub of sour cream - optional

Use a large frying pan and seal the steak in the rapeseed oil – in small batches – if you overfill the pan you will finish up with grey steak and it will “stew” - not nice! Set the batches aside in the slow cooker. Soften the onion for 2 minutes and then add to the steak.

In a medium sized bowl mix together the ingredients marked *.

Using the same frying pan – and therefore any residual juices, add the water and the stock pots, bring to the boil and stir until the pots have melted. Add the mixed ingredients * and pour over the beef.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.

At the end of the cooking time, using a slotted spoon, remove the steak from the gravy. Mix the cornflour with water and stir into goulash and cook on high to thicken.

Add the steak back into the thickened gravy and you're good to go.

Perfect for the hungry hordes!

Save time and money – Part 7

Here's another cheap and cheerful recipe, again uses your slow cooker and, other than minimum prep, the rest is done by magic!

Steak Pie Filling

Serves 4/6

1kg/2.2lbs braising steak or stewing steak, cubed

glug of rapeseed or Canola oil

2 x Knorr beef stock pots

2 heaped tbsp tomato paste

2 heaped tbsp small chunk Branston pickle

Brown the meat in a frying pan, using a drop of rapeseed oil – do this in small batches – if you don't you'll get grey looking meat - it'll take ages and will stew. Using a slotted spoon pop the browned meat into the slow cooker.

Dissolve the stock pots in the residual pan juices, then add the tomato paste – make sure the paste is properly melted and “cooked out” - if you don't do this you'll get a bitter taste. Add your Branston, then add 250ml water, bring to the boil and tip over your meat. Slow cook on low for 4 hours. If your gravy is too thin then add a little slaked cornflour and thicken to taste.

You can make this filling ahead and freeze it, should you have a spare 30 minutes.

All that remains in your choice of lid – you could cheat and use a puff pastry sheet or create a “hot-pot” style, sliced potato lid from your ready-baked potato stash or leave as is and serve with potatoes and other veggies of your choice.

By adding the tomato paste it enriches the gravy. By adding the Branston Pickle it gives a zingy flavour – ordinary it is not!

Life is so much easier with a slow cooker.

Save time and money – Part 6

Speaking of Christmas Eve – and whilst we're on the subject - here's another idea.

Did you ever wonder what to do with that jar of preserved lemons and black olives? This recipe is a Middle Eastern “hat tipping” to the wonderful tagine, cooked in stages for convenience. You could slow cook the dish altogether if that's better for you so – Plan A or Plan B!

Chicken and Preserved Lemon Tagine

Serves 4

2 tbsp of olive oil – or rapeseed

125g diced chorizo - 225g

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and finely sliced

30ml – 2tbsp preserved lemons – rinsed and

chopped

400g passata

60ml medium white wine

500ml chicken stock

black olives – pitted – 150g drained weight - 350g

2 cloves of roasted garlic or 2 cloves

peeled and finely chopped

15ml sweet paprika

salt and black pepper

4 medium chicken breasts

Plan A

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the garlic paste, onion and paprika until soft – 10 minutes. Add the chorizo and fry until crispy. Add the wine and simmer until reduced – 5 minutes. Add the passata, stock and slow cooked chicken breasts and simmer gently, lid off, for about 20 minutes.

Add the olives and preserved lemons and season well – taste and adjust!

I'd slow cook the chicken breasts the day before required, using the 500ml of chicken stock in the recipe and then set them aside to cool, box and fridge. You can make the “sauce” when it suits you too. Complete your “tagine” adding the chicken breasts to the sauce and finish off as above, heating through gently on the stove.

Plan B

You could slow cook this recipe all together, completing the dish with the olives and preserved lemons either as you're re-heating or for the last 10 minutes of cooking time if serving straight from the slow cooker. If you're using this method then I'd slow cook for three hours. If you prefer your chorizo crispy I'd leave the chorizo until the last 20 minutes of slow cooking time then fry until crispy and add, with the oil, to your tagine, together with the preserved lemons and olives.

If you'd like a veggie version, use Quorn fillets.

What to serve with?

Keep it simple - new potatoes – boiled or steamed and or even roasted in their skins. Mange tout – sliced lengthways and stir fried.

Yum – now back to the cheap & cheerful!

Save time and money – slow cook!

The moral of this slow cooking lark is that it allows you to make the most of the time you've got. If you're in your kitchen anyway why not spend an extra five minutes and fill your slow cooker and stock your freezer. It may not seem like much at the time but you might change your mind in the middle of the working week when you're worn to a frazzle and can't string a sentence together, let alone split an atom and create a meal!

Stuff you might find useful - Slow cooking – hints and tips

You can slow cook all sorts apart from meat and poultry – soups, veggies, desserts, the world is your slow cooker!

I've used slow cookers for years and still apply the same principles as I've always done (which does not include the whole chicken recipe – rules are meant to be broken!). I seal my meat/poultry before it goes into the slow cooker and although these days you can buy slow cookers that are suitable for hob to hotplate I use a frying pan to seal – I know it creates washing up but the method in my madness is that I can set aside the protein and then use the juices in the pan, adding stock and whatever else I feel like, then bringing it to the boil, de-glazing and getting the best flavour possible, ready to place everything in the slow cooker. I can see what I'm doing too!

Don't overfill the cooker with liquid – as a guide half to two thirds maximum.

Thickening. I'm not a lover of coating meat in flour and then sealing it. As far as I'm concerned you're slow cooking the coating and not the meat. I prefer to thicken with a teaspoon or two of slaked cornflour at the end of the cooking time.

If you're thinking of investing in a slow cooker you might be tempted to buy a small version. It's my experience that you'll regret it – if you are cooking for yourself but feed family and friends too it's the perfect vehicle for saving you time, effort and of course dosh.

I find that stainless steel and a separate hotplate is most practical for me. I can decant from the slow cooker to freeze but leave enough for a meal and then transfer the cooker to my hob to re-heat later.

If you're new to this slow cooking malarkey invest in a slow cooking recipe book - there are some excellent ones out there – Lakeland publish at least two.

Check out bargains and deals – you'll usually find a chicken. Rocket science it ain't but if you want to make the most of your good deal with a chicken then let the slow cooker take the strain and do the cooking for you - that's two massive ticks!

I make no apology for repeating this recipe. It should read “Slow Cook a Whole Chicken or how to make the most out of your slow cooker – how did I manage without one”.

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

OR

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs OR add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

Here are the photos :

The whole chicken, lifted from slow cooker onto the foil lined tray, ready for action or to be cooled, covered and fridged.

The stock, strained into a jug, ready to be cooled, covered and fridged.

The stock the following day, decanted into a “pour and store” bag ready to freeze. The stock forms a golden jelly with some natural fat from the bird – you've not added any fat at all – nice colour don't you think?

Here's the chicken stripped and portioned into four.

Top right and bottom left are the breasts. I would freeze each breast individually – you may only need one in the future but should you need both it's not an issue. Top left is a leg as is, again to be frozen. There's no doubt that if you leave meat on the bone it is less likely to dry out. Finally bottom right we have a mixture of leg and thigh meat. What you'll also find when you strip the chicken the next day is that you'll have blobs of the jellied stock – don't waste it, freeze it in ice cube trays, the flavour will be great, whatever you decide to cook.

What to do with? Rocket science it ain't!

Who doesn't love a pie – how about chicken and mushroom? You get to use your chicken stock – it's now called liquid gold in my kitchen. It's intense and rich and what better way to show it off than by making the sauce for your chicken and mushroom filling. I apologise, I should have said that you get between 250/300ml of stock depending on the size of your chicken.

Chicken & Mushroom Pie

2 x slow cooked chicken breasts and/or

a mixture of leg and thigh meat -

400g in total, diced and placed in

a large bowl

250g chestnut mushrooms

Sauce Supreme – using your

chicken stock

Sliced cooked baked potatoes – 3 medium size

skin on or skin off, whichever you prefer

salt and black pepper and a dot or two of

butter

Preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Ensure that your chicken and stock have been taken from your best friend (the freezer) and fridged overnight.

There are only two elements to cook – the mushrooms and the sauce.

Heat a medium sized frying pan, slice the mushrooms and sauté with 50g of unsalted butter adding salt and black pepper. Turn the mushrooms – they'll produce water and the idea is that you use a high heat to reduce the liquid. Add a glug of dry sherry or red wine and reduce again. The sherry or wine enhances the flavour of the mushrooms. Whilst I'm at it don't be afraid to use mushrooms that might be past their “best before” date. They have more flavour.

Your sauce recipe :

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

½ tsp Dijon mustard

200ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously making a roux sauce – do not walk away.

Tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

You can freeze the sauce if it's more convenient – it's every bit as good from the freezer.

You have choices for your pie lid. I'm using the potatoes I've already baked and have stashed in my fridge.

You could use the ever popular puff pastry sheet, again taken from your freezer stash.

Add the mushrooms to the chicken and then fold through the sauce. Pour the filling into a casserole measuring 23x23 cms approximately or, in my case, a foil tray - layer the sliced potatoes over the top, add a little salt and pepper and a dot or two of butter . Place in the oven for 25 minutes and serve.

That's the first idea …

Bite size cooking

10 minutes here, 10 minutes there – Part 1

Everyone cooks differently - if you are a household of only two it's probably more difficult not to waste food. For example, buying a smaller chicken isn't necessarily better value – you're paying for less meat.

If you're giving this “getting organised” malarkey a go you can use the slow cooker principle even in a household of two in fact it's very economical, all that happens is divide your ultimate pie into portions that suit your family appetites and freeze what's left. It's the beginning of your ready-meal stash in your freezer that now has heaps of newly created space.

You may pass the “meal deals” by, thinking you can't take advantage because there's too much or it's not convenient this particular weekend, but that ain't necessarily so – invariably whole chickens are part of the deal and they can be frozen whole but I appreciate that freezer space may be an issue – aim for a weight 1.5kg – 1.75kg. The cost is £3.33 ish – ignoring the bottle of wine in the equation. Instead of using chicken fillet in the pie recipe, slow cook a whole chicken and get the best value for your money.

It's the easiest recipe :

Slow cooked whole chicken

1.5kg chicken

1 chicken stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or

garlic Italian seasoning

2 tsps of garlic paste

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the garlic and stock pot together and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with herbs. Switch your slow cooker on low and leave it for 8 hours – no liquid required.

The resultant juices give you approximately half a pint (300ml) of stock. Strain the stock, cover and refrigerate until cold, ready for use or freeze if preferred.

Similarly don't rule out the deals on gammon joints - they usually have a good use by date because they are vac packed or they can be frozen. The gammon joints can usually be found at 3 for £10 – aim for a weight between 500g – 750g.

If you're following “getting organised” I'm taking it as read that you'll already have cooked, baked jacket potatoes and a box of grated cheese stashed in your fridge.

What follows is a series of 10 minute bites of time that, pulled together, create a supper and freezer stash using inexpensive ingredients and smart shopping! Each bite of time can be fitted in to suit you.

I should point out that you won't produce a dish until all the 10 minute bites have been completed. The idea is that you have a spare 10 minutes one day and may be two separate 10 minute time bites the next day and so on. Every element along the way is easily fridgeable so you can pull it all together when the mood takes you. If the mood doesn't take you, you can freeze it all and use when it does – a practical and efficient way of cooking!

Here we go ...

Option 2 – not as healthy – Option 3 - somewhere in between!

This is definitely a luxury version, perfect for a supper with friends.

Replace the soup with a Velouté sauce. A Velouté sauce is one of the “Mother Sauces” - a light white sauce made with chicken or fish stock and a roux – it is also used as a base for other sauces, for example, a Sauce Supreme, known as a “Daughter Sauce” using Velouté and then enriched with cream.

Here's the Sauce Supreme recipe :

half a pint (300ml) of cold stock

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

½ tsp Dijon mustard

200ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2/3 mins, stirring continuously – do not walk away.

Then tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Fold your gammon, chicken and leeks into the sauce.

Top your sliced potatoes with seasoning and 2/3 knobs of butter, finish with a mixture of grated Red Leicester and mature Cheddar cheese. Bake as before.

Option 3 – somewhere in between

Omit the potato, butter and cheese topping and replace with a puff pastry lid. This option can also apply to Options 1 or 2. Bake as before. You could “hit the middle” and make Option 1 enriching the tinned soup by adding double cream. The world is your lobster or in this case your pie!

For those sceptics among us who think that a slow-cooker is only capable of producing stews and casseroles I hope you might be persuaded otherwise.

Bite size cooking to follow ...

I have a plan … liberation!

I find slow-cooking liberating – not a word that immediately springs to mind where cooking is concerned – there'll be no bra burning!

It might sound a touch dramatic but to illustrate how much time, effort and money you'll save I give you, the gammon, chicken and leek pie. There are three options here from the same recipe. The first is a healthy version, the second is not and the third is somewhere in between.

I will concede that you'll have to think about your shopping list but if you are now subscribing to “getting organised” you'll have jacket potatoes on your list ready to bake.

Here we go :

Option 1 – healthy

Gammon, Chicken and Leek pie

Serves 4 generous portions

You'll need a casserole or foil tray 23x23cms/9” square

Gammon joint – smoked or unsmoked to suit your taste – approx 500g

4 chicken breast fillets

2 stock pots – chicken or vegetable

4 medium leeks, topped, tailed and sliced thickly

Rapeseed oil – approx 1 tbsp

black pepper

2 tins (295g) of Campbell's condensed low fat chicken soup (this is now low salt, low fat and only 77 calories per serving)

3 large jacket potatoes, baked, cooled, then peeled and sliced

Salt and black pepper for potato topping

Seal your gammon joint and slow cook in the stock pots, repeat with the chicken fillet. If your slow cooker is big enough cook them all together. 4 hours is fine. Leave to cool.

Break up the gammon and the chicken into medium chunks and transfer for the moment into a large food bag and fridge. Reserve the stock and fridge.

Peel and slice your leeks, then soften in the rapeseed oil, set aside.

Tip the soup into a large mixing bowl. Next add a ladle of stock into the soup to loosen it, then fold in the gammon, chicken and leeks. Transfer the filling into your casserole or foil tray.

Place your sliced potato on top, season with a little salt and black pepper.

Pre-heat your oven and bake at 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 30-40 minutes – check after 30 - until the top is golden and crispy.

Then there's options 2 – definitely not as healthy and 3 – somewhere in between …

New Year in July – Dish 2

This is, after all a celebration and calls for top notch food.

You might not think of chilli as “top notch” - what makes this chilli special, nay posh, is it uses diced steak and slow cooks it. The only remaining task is to add the red kidney beans and any garnishes. A word of warning – just in case you've forgotten – do not slow cook the kidney beans.

Dish 2 - Posh Chilli

Serves 4

500g diced steak

A glug of rapeseed oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of roasted garlic paste or 2 cloves crushed

tsp = teaspoon

half tsp ground cumin

half tsp ground coriander

half tsp ground cinnamon

quarter to half tsp chilli powder (to taste, depends how much of a kick you like – I used a quarter tsp)

500g jar of passata

60ml sweet chilli sauce

390g can of red kidney beans, rinsed

optional extras :

150g small dice or sliced chorizo

sweet baby peppers, de-seeded and

finely sliced

Now for the method and the extras …

A slow cooker filling

Here's a filling that uses your slow cooker and, other than 30 minutes prep, the rest is done by magic!

Steak Pie Filling

Servies 4/6

1kg/2.2lbs braising steak or stewing steak, cubed

glug of rapeseed or Canola oil

2 x Knorr beef stock pots

2 heaped tbsp tomato paste

2 heaped tbsp small chunk Branston pickle

or you could use your Balsamic Onion Jam!

Brown the meat in a frying pan, using a drop of rapeseed oil – do this in small batches – if you don't you'll get grey looking meat - it'll take ages and will stew. Using a slotted spoon pop the browned meat into the slow cooker.

Dissolve the stock pots in the residual pan juices, then add the tomato paste – make sure the paste is properly melted and “cooked out” - if you don't do this you'll get a bitter taste. Add your Branston, then add 250ml water, bring to the boil and tip over your meat. Slow cook on low for 4 hours. If your gravy is too thin then add a little slaked cornflour and thicken to taste.

You can make this filling ahead and freeze it, should you have a spare 30 minutes.

All that remains in your choice of lid – you could cheat and use a puff pastry sheet, make double the amount of Fast Flaky Pastry (given in “More pastry choices”) or create a “hot-pot” style, sliced potato lid from your ready-baked potato stash – there's an idea!

Life is so much easier this way.

Then there's an all-time favourite …

Here's the first winter menu – option 1

If you haven't already done it, dust off your slow cooker for option 1!

One of my old favourites – slow cook a

whole chicken – an “instant” mid week roast

and leftovers too

If you're serving four as a main then you'll get sufficient

chicken left to use for a soup

If you're serving two as a main then you'll get sufficient

chicken left to make a pie filling or shredded chicken

in pasta and a sauce using the stock

I mentioned checking out bargains and deals – you'll usually find a chicken! Rocket science it ain't but if you want to make the most of your good deal with a chicken then let the slow cooker take the strain and do the cooking for you - that's two massive ticks!

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs or add the whole star anise to the cavity and omit the herbs. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold, strip the chicken, keeping aside what you need and then bag and freeze the remainder.

One thing is for sure, slow cooking a whole chicken means you get the best value and you'll use every morsel – it's the perfect emergency food!

If you'd like another chicken idea check out the “takeaway” options for the weekend.

Option 2 coming up ...

The Tarragon Chicken alternatives

If you prefer to plan ahead, slow cooking and then freezing the chicken breasts works well – all that's required is to defrost the cooked chicken and make the sauce. Don't forget to freeze the stock too!

For the slow cooking

4 large chicken breasts

drop of Rapeseed/Canola oil and a knob of butter

500ml/1 pint of chicken stock

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan until hot. Seal the chicken on both sides, set aside in your slow cooker. Add the stock to the residual juices in the pan and bring to the boil – add to your fillets and slow cook for 2/3 hours, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before use if you freeze after cooking.

You can always slow cook more than four fillets but don't forget to freeze in quantities that suit you.

You can “smoke” chicken breasts – poach the breasts gently in chicken stock for 20 minutes – turn the chicken after 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the chicken to continue to poach in the stock with the lid on.

If you're not sure what “poaching” and how to achieve it :

Poaching is a technique involving submerging food in a liquid – in this case stock – milk and wine are also used.

It's considered to be a healthy method of cooking since it doesn't use fat to cook or flavour the food. Poaching uses a low temperature which means it's perfect for delicate food like chicken which has a tendency either to fall apart or become dry. The chicken remains succulent and full of flavour with whatever aromatics you've used in the stock.

Speaking of aromatics, if, like me, you occasionally slow cook a whole chicken infused with star anise and save the strained stock - I'm poaching the chicken breasts in the anise stock from my stash in the freezer. Since the recipe is Tarragon Chicken and tarragon has an aniseed flavour it's the perfect fit.

The sauce can then be cooked to the point where all that's required is to add the cream, fresh tarragon and white pepper.

What's not to love.

Fast food suppers … speaking of chicken

Remember I mentioned the meal deal and picking up the chicken that I roasted? Remember too that I mentioned making the most of the time in the kitchen and the slow cooker? If you're roasting a different meat this is where your slow cooker comes into its own - slow cook a whole chicken.

If you'd like the anise stock instead of sprinkling with herbs I added two whole star anise to the cavity.

Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

1 chicken – between 1.5kg – 1.75kg

1 chicken stock pot

2 tsps of garlic paste or 1 garlic stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic

Italian seasoning

Alternatively use two whole star anise in the cavity

and omit the herbs

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the stock pot with the garlic paste and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with the herbs or add the whole star anise to the cavity. Switch your slow cooker to the low setting and leave it for 8 hours.

Strain the stock and freeze the resultant liquid gold, strip the chicken and bag – divide the stripped chicken into two bags.

What happens next is up to you. I have to confess that I buy a chicken when it's part of a meal deal and slow cook it – the best value – every morsel can be frozen and used whenever – the perfect emergency food.

However, if you'd like another idea – just for the fun of it – perfect for a weekend treat or a lunch with a few other bits and pieces.

Way back when I'd slow cooked and stripped a chicken just before visiting the kids – big kids - and decided to take the chicken with me - some delicious bread and chicken sandwiches for lunch? We've already had chicken soup for the soul - now we have a sandwich for the soul – I've never seen food disappear as quickly for a long time. They loved the chicken – tender, moist and full of flavour.

Very often you find that an afterthought turns into a huge hit. I'll be serving chicken sandwiches for the soul again – soon.

It's time for some feedback …

Now for the pork …

This dish is perfect for slow cooking and ideal to cook ahead for a dinner party.

Slow cooked pork loin steaks with

Calvados cream sauce

600g/1lb 5oz pork loin steaks – 6 steaks, trimmed

glug of rapeseed/Canola oil

salt and black pepper

generous sprinkle of dried herbs – sage or

thyme

2 tsps of garlic paste – optional

500ml/1 pint approx vegetable stock – use a stock pot if you're

not using your own stock

Heat the oil in a large frying pan until hot. Seal the loin steaks on both sides, add salt and black pepper, garlic and herbs. Set aside the steaks in the slow cooker then add your stock to the residual juices in the frying pan, bring to the boil, pour over the steaks and slow cook for 3 hours.

At the end of the cooking time remove the pork steaks from the stock and set aside, covered, to cool.

Pass the stock through a sieve and set aside, covered, to cool.

Fridge the steaks and the stock.

Now for the Calvados cream sauce!

The posh slow cook

Slow cooking is not just for the every day – you can do posh too.

It's a friend's birthday, so four guests for a birthday dinner. As is my usual practice I wanted to cook ahead. It doesn't matter how many times you've cooked for a dinner party the more time you can buy the better.

I had already chosen the main and a dish that is meant for cooking long and slow – a boned haunch of venison - the haunch is the back leg of the animal.

You can slow cook in red wine or fruit juice – apple or orange. You can add redcurrant or rowan jelly. Sweetness works well with venison. There are heaps of recipes out there.

I prefer to let the venison do the talking and not interfere too much.

Here's my version :

Slow cooked venison

Serves 6

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

2lb/900g venison haunch, cut into generous portions

salt and black pepper

a generous pinch of oregano

8 fl oz/250ml passata

4 fl oz/125ml dry red wine – I used Rioja

4 fl oz/125ml water

Heat the oil in a large frying pan to a medium heat. Brown the venison well in batches and set aside in your slow cooker. Add the salt, pepper and oregano to the residual juices in the pan and then pour in the passata, red wine and water. Bring to the boil and tip over the venison portions. Slow cook for 6 hours.

I cooked the venison several days ahead and then froze it and the gravy separately.

One bit fat tick off my dinner party “to do” list!

Coming next … the jus and a pie too.

The moral of this slow cooking lark ...

… is that it allows you to make the most of the time you've got. If you're in your kitchen anyway why not spend an extra five minutes and slow cook either the chicken fillet or pork loin steaks and stock your freezer. It may not seem like much at the time but you might change your mind in the middle of a working week when you're worn to a frazzle and can't string a sentence together, let alone split an atom and create a meal.

The sauces given with the chicken and the pork are quick, easy and tasty - both can be made ahead and fridged.

These recipes are not set in stone – they are only a guide - not a rigid set of rules. If you have your own favourite sauces then brilliant. I'm just trying to give you an idea or two that might inspire your own creation or an old favourite that you'd forgotten.

Having ready cooked protein in your ATC will enable you to pull together your own home-cooked meals quickly – what's not to love. If you think ahead and take advantage of the deals out there you'll save even more dosh.

If it moves I freeze it – an example –a I have chicken that I slow cooked and stripped. I have the liquid gold too (the stock). Last week I bought a ham hock that I didn't have time to slow cook. Gary – my lovely local butcher – confirmed I could freeze it and cook when I had more time. I have friends coming for lunch soon. Their favourite pie is chicken and ham.

I rest my case.

Stuff you might find useful

Slow cooking – hints and tips

You can slow cook all sorts apart from meat and poultry – soups, veggies, desserts, the world is your lobster!

I have three slow cookers in various sizes and use them for meat and poultry.

I've used slow cookers for years and still apply the same principles as I've always done (which does not include the whole chicken recipe – rules are meant to be broken!). I seal my meat/poultry before it goes into the slow cooker and although these days you can buy slow cookers that are suitable for hob to hotplate I use a frying pan to seal – I know it creates washing up but the method in my madness is that I can set aside the protein and then use the juices in the pan, adding stock and whatever else I feel like, de-glazing and getting the best flavour possible. I can see what I'm doing too.

Don't overfill the cooker with liquid – as a guide half to two thirds maximum

Thickening. I'm not a lover of coating meat in flour and then sealing it. As far as I'm concerned you're slow cooking the coating and not the meat. I prefer to thicken with a teaspoon or two of slaked cornflour at the end of the cooking time.

If you're thinking of investing in a slow cooker you might be tempted to buy a small version. It's my experience that you'll regret it – if you are cooking for yourself but feed family and friends too it's the perfect vehicle for saving you time, effort and of course dosh.

I find that stainless steel and a separate hotplate is most practical for me. I can decant from the slow cooker to freeze but leave enough for a meal and then transfer the cooker to my hob to re-heat later.

There are lots to choose from so take your time!

P.s. If you're new to this slow cooking malarkey invest in a slow cooking recipe book too. There are some excellent ones out there – Lakeland publish at least two.

Here's my slow cooker :