If you are short on time but still want to eat delicious food, then welcome to the world of slow cookers. Our slow cookers can be set to cook food for up to 12 hours meaning you can come home from work to a delicious meal. By cooking food in this way you achieve a delicious melt in your mouth result as the food is cooked in its own juices. Slow cooking is also extremely versatile as well as friendly on your energy bills. You can cook everything from a curries, soups and casseroles as well as desserts and whole chickens all without having to turn on and power your large conventional oven. Below are some great recipes to use in your slow cooker.

1. Con's Spicy Lamb Moroccan with Cous Cous
2. Steve’s Slow Cooked Beef
3. Anita's Lamb Shanks
4. Beef Adobo (a Spanish beef stew with rice)
5. Lemon Chicken
6. Gingered Beef with Bay
7. Lamb Port and Cranberry Hotpot

Con's Spicy Lamb Moroccan with Cous Cous

Serves: 6
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5-7 hours
Cooking temperature: medium


Ingredients

1. 1kg lamb leg steak, cubed
2. 2 brown onions, quartered
3. 2 carrots, thickly sliced
4. 4 stick celery, thickly sliced
5. 400g peeled tomatoes
6. 500ml chicken stock
7. 1 tablespoon cumin
8. 1 tablespoon ground coriander
9. 1 teaspoon turmeric
10. ½ teaspoon ground ginger
11. 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
12. 50g pine nuts
13. 200g sultanas
14. salt and pepper
15. 2 cups cous cous
16. Coriander to garnish

Method

1. 1. Brown lamb in a frying pan for a few minutes or until brown. Transfer to the Slow Cooker ceramic pot.


2. 2. Add onion, carrot, celery, stock and peeled tomatoes to the slow cooker.


3. 3. Season with spices, salt and pepper.


4. 4. Cook on medium for 5-7 hours adding the pine nuts and sultanas half way through.


5. 5. Cook cous cous according to packet instruction and serve with lamb garnished with some coriander.

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Steve’s Slow Cooked Beef

Serves: 4
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5-6 hours
Cooking temperature: medium-high


Ingredients

1. 4 pieces beef steak
2. 2 rashers bacon, diced
3. 3 potatoes, peeled and diced
4. 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
5. 6 mushrooms, sliced
6. 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
7. 1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with 1 cup beef stock
8. 1 x can peeled tomatoes
9. 1 teaspoon paprika
10. ½ teaspoon ground ginger
11. 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
12. ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
13. salt and pepper

Method

1. 1. Add the chopped potato, sweet potato, mushrooms and broccoli to the Slow Cooker ceramic pot.


2. 2. Add the beef steak and season with salt and pepper.


3. 3. Add chopped bacon.


4. 4. Combine chopped tomatoes, beef stock and spices and pour evenly over the steaks.


5. 5. Cook on medium-high for 5-6 hours.


6. 6. Serve with crusty bread and steamed green beans.

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Anita's Lamb Shanks

Serves 4
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 5-7 hours
Cooking temperature: medium


Ingredients

1. 8 small lamb shanks (fat removed)
2. 2 brown onions sliced
3. 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
4. 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
5. 1/4 cup plum jam
6. 2 tablespoons Worchester sauce
7. 1 cup red wine
8. 1-2 litres chicken stock
9. Plain flour
10. Olive oil

Method

1. Coat the lamb shanks in flour and then brown in a frying pan for a few minutes or until brown. Transfer to the Slow Cooker ceramic pot.


2. Add sliced onions, rosemary, thyme, red wine, plum jam and worchester sauce. Add enough chicken stock to about 2/3 cover the lamb shanks, mix to combine ingredients and turn on the slow cooker.


3. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes and steamed green beans.

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Beef Adobo
This recipe, flavoured with soy sauce and vinegar, is traditionally eaten in the Philippines, but it’s also a popular dish in Spain.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 8–10 hours
Cooking temperature: medium


Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2. 750 g braising beef (fat removed), cubed
3. 1 large onion, sliced
4. 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5. 2 tablespoons plain flour
6. 450 ml beef stock
7. 4 tablespoons soy sauce
8. 4 tablespoons rice or wine vinegar
9. 1 tablespoon caster sugar
10. 2 bay leaves
11. juice of 1 lime
12. salt and pepper
13. rice, to serve

To garnish

1. 1 carrot, cut into thin sticks
2. 1/2 bunch of spring onions, cut into shreds
3. coriander leaves

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the beef, a few pieces at a time, until all the meat has been added. Fry over a high heat, turning until evenly browned, lift out of the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
2. Add the onion to the pan and fry for 5 minutes or until it is just beginning to brown. Mix in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, then gradually mix in the stock. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, bay leaves and salt and pepper and bring to the boil, stirring.
3. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker pot, pour over the onion and stock mixture, cover and cook on medium for 8–10 hours.
4. Stir in lime juice to taste. Serve in shallow bowls lined with rice and garnish with carrot sticks, shredded spring onion and coriander leaves.

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Lemon chicken
Whole chicken breasts are gently simmered with garlic and lemon wedges and finished with pak choi, sugar snap peas and minted crème fraîche. They’re delicious served with a couscous salad.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 4-5 hours
Cooking temperature: medium-high


Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon olive oil
2. 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 550 g (1 lb 2 oz) in total
3. 1 onion, chopped
4. 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5. 2 tablespoons plain flour
6. 450 ml chicken stock
7. 1/2 lemon (cut in half lengthways), cut into 4 wedges
8. 2 pak choi, thickly sliced
9. 125 g sugar snap peas, halved lengthways
10. 4 tablespoons crème fraîche
11. 2 tablespoons chopped mint and parsley mixed
12. salt and pepper
13. couscous salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the chicken breasts and fry over a high heat until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate. Add the onion to the pan and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. Stir in the garlic and flour, then mix in the stock and lemon wedges. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil.
3. Put the chicken breasts in the slow cooker pot, pour the hot stock mixture over them and press the chicken below the surface of the liquid. Cover and cook on medium-high for 4-5 hours.
4. Add the pak choi and sugar snap peas and cook on high for 15 minutes or until just tender. Lift out the chicken, slice the pieces and arrange them on plates. Stir the crème fraîche and herbs into the sauce, then spoon it and the vegetables over the chicken. Serve with couscous mixed with finely chopped tomato, red onion and red pepper.

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Gingered Beef with Bay
Bay leaves have been popular in meaty stews since Roman times, and here they are combined with root ginger for a rustic-style casserole that is delicious served with mashed potato or celeriac.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 7–9 hours
Cooking temperature: low-medium


Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 750 g lean braising beef, cubed
3. 1 onion, chopped
4. 2 tablespoons plain flour
5. 450 ml beef stock
6. 1 tablespoon tomato purée
7. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
8. 2 teaspoons dark muscovado sugar
9. 3 bay leaves
10. 4 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
11. salt and pepper
12. baby carrots, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the beef, a few pieces at a time, until all the meat has been added, then fry over a high heat, stirring, until evenly browned. Lift out of the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
2. Add the onion to the pan and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the flour, then mix in the stock, tomato purée, vinegar, sugar, bay leaves and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil.
3. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker pot, pour over the hot stock, cover and cook on low-medium for 7–9 hours. Serve with steamed baby carrots tossed with a little butter.

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Lamb, Port and Cranberry Hotpot
This classic and flavour-filled hotpot is cooked with ruby port and dried cranberries. Although a slow cooker will not brown the potatoes, you can pop the pot under the grill for a few minutes before serving.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 7–9 hours
Cooking temperature: medium-high


Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2. 6 lamb chump chops, about 750 g (11/2 lb) in total, halved
3. 1 onion, chopped
4. 125 g button mushrooms, sliced
5. 2 tablespoons plain flour
6. 450 ml lamb stock
7. 125 ml ruby port
8. 1 tablespoon tomato purée
9. 1 tablespoon cranberry sauce
10. 25 g dried cranberries (optional)
11. 700 g baking potatoes, thinly sliced
12. salt and pepper
13. chopped parsley, to garnish (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the lamb and fry over a high heat until browned on both sides. Lift out with a draining spoon and transfer to a plate.
2. Add the onion to the pan and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, and then gradually mix in the stock and port. Add the tomato purée, cranberry sauce and dried cranberries, if using, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, stirring.
3. Put the pieces of lamb in the base of the slow cooker pot, pour over the hot sauce and arrange the slice potatoes on top, overlapping the slices in two layers. Gently press the potatoes down into the sauce, cover and cook on high for 7-8 hours or until the lamb and potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley, if liked, and spoon into bowls.

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Recipes taken from ‘Slow Cooker Easy’ by Sara Lewis (Hamlyn).