Slow Cooker Chicken Stew (with thanks to the Hairy Dieters)

I'm very fussy about meat. I hate skin and bones and gristly bits. However, I love saving money - not by buying cheap factory farmed meat, but by buying cheaper cuts of meat from local and ethical sources. Slow cooking cheaper cuts of meat helps to break down all the gooey bits and makes removing bones a nice, clean and easy task - perfect for squeamish people like me!

I'd seen this recipe in the Hairy Dieters Cookbook last year and thought it sounded good so, when I bought a pair of chicken leg quarters from Keelham Farm Shop this weekend, it seemed like a good candidate for a slow cooker adaptation.

The original recipe feeds four people and has quite a lot of liquid - a necessity when cooking it in the oven - so I made suitable changes to make the recipe in the slow cooker and to serve two people.

Tender and delicious

Mrs Roe's Hairy Dieters Old Fashioned Chicken & Veg Stew
Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp dried thyme
2 good quality chicken leg quarters
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 rashers smoked back bacon, cut into 1cm strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stick, thinly sliced
150g chestnut mushrooms, cut into quarters
250ml dry cider
100ml chicken stock
200g carrots, cut into large chunks
1 thin leek, sliced into 2cm pieces
Sea salt
Black pepper

Method

1. Mix the flour and thyme with some salt and plenty of black pepper. The original recipe says to use a plastic freezer bag, but I just did mine in a shallow bowl.
2. Break the chicken legs on the joints, and cut into two pieces - you'll have two drumsticks and two thigh pieces. Leave all the bones in, but trim off any excess fat. Remove the skin if you want to (I didn't bother).
3. Evenly coat the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour and shake off any excess. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Remove and place in the slow cooker.
4. Fry off the bacon, celery and onion for about 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and fry for another couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining flour, then add to the slow cooker with the chicken pieces.
5. Deglaze the pan with half of the cider, then pour this into the slow cooker, along with the stock and the rest of the cider. Add the carrots and leeks and stir.
6. Cook the stew on low until the chicken is very tender and the bones can be removed cleanly. I left mine for about five hours, but the time needed will depend on your cooker.

• I didn't have any thyme in the cupboard, so I used oregano, which worked well and tasted good. I think rosemary would be worth a try as well.
• I didn't halve the weight of the mushrooms, as 75g seemed rather mean when I weighed them out.
• We ate this with a serving of lovely, fresh green kale. If you want to add potatoes, I think baked would be good.
• Make sure you choose a good quality cider for this recipe, as it really makes a difference to the flavour. Sticking half a can of Strongbow in it probably won't be a good idea. I used Samuel Smith's Organic Cider.

Pot Roast Brisket

I'm not sure how I've managed to get to the wrong side of 35 without having ever made a pot roast. I've done braised beef and beef stew, but I've never pot roasted a brisket. It occurred to me that this was an oversight on my part, especially as I have fond memories of my mum's pot roasts, made with rolled brisket, donkey carrots and old potatoes. The gravy was the best bit - perfect for mopping up with a thick slice of Warburton's Toastie.

So, on our weekly visit to Keelham Farm Shop, I bought a smallish rolled brisket joint - it cost just over £5 - some big thick carrots and a bag of spuds. On Sunday, I chucked them in the slow cooker with some other ingredients and made my very first pot roast. It will not be my last. Unfortunately, the way something tastes doesn't always match the way it looks. It didn't look appetising in the slightest, which is why there isn't a photo here. Maybe next time my efforts will be more photogenic.

Anyway, feel free to give it a try and let me know what you think!

Mrs Roe's Pot Roast Brisket

Ingredients
Rolled brisket (slightly less than 1kg did 4 portions)
1 large onion, peeled and cut into slices
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 white potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 beef stock cube
50ml hot water
30ml Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper
2 tsp gravy granules

Method

1. Turn the Crock Pot onto low. Place the onion slices in the bottom of the Crock Pot and lay the beef on top (you could brown the beef first if you wanted - I didn't have time).
2. Scatter the potatoes and carrots around the joint.
3. Mix the stock cube and Worcestershire sauce into the hot water and pour over the meat. Season with a little salt and plenty of pepper.
4. Cook for about 8 hours, then remove the meat. It should be falling apart. Shred it with 2 forks.
5. Mix the gravy granules into the stock to thicken it, then tip the shredded beef back in. Mix thoroughly so the gravy coats the meat.
6. Serve with steamed veg (we had broccoli).

We decided to shred the meat, but you could try slicing it instead.
I think this would be really good in one of those giant Yorkshire puddings (if I was capable of making them!).