Slow cookers, they are right up there in my mind. If you can’t afford a personal chef then this has to be the next best thing. Throw food in them, press a button and come back to amazing smells and a meal all cooked.

Now I know it doesn’t take much time to cook up a bolognaise, but  they really do taste great when the meat has been simmering all day. I tend to load up my slow cooker the night before, then pop it in the fridge and it’s all ready to go when I make my morning cuppa the next day.

This was my first attempt at slow cooked bolognaise, it was different to my usual saucepan cooked version but both equally tasty. I used super lean mince from my local butcher so it didn’t need browning before cooking. If your mince is not super lean I’d suggest you brown it, remove the oil then pop it in the slow cooker. Add in any veggies you like, this was just what we had around. I add beans into ours to make the meat go further and to reduce the glycaemic index of the meal.

Sorry no end photo as it was too tasty and I was too hungry 😉

Recipe (Serves 6):

4 carrots

2 onions

3 cloves garlic

2 peppers

1 broccoli stalk (if you have it)

1 cup black eyed beans

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato puree

200ml water

200ml red wine

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 beef stock cube

pepper

dried mixed herbs

500g lean minced beef

• Place the vegetables and beans in the slow cooker first, then add the chopped tomatoes, puree, water, wine, stock cube, pepper and herbs.

• Place the beef on the top, cook on high for 6-8 hours. Enjoy with pasta and a large glass of red wine. Mmmmm.