Posted By Laura in In the Home, Just for You, Review, Shopping | 4 comments

I have to admit that I’m a bit unorganised about feeding the family. Some weeks I ‘get it’ – planned menu, the right ingredients ready in the fridge/freezer/cupboards, different family meals every night. But more often I find I’m glancing at the clock and it’s nearly 5pm and there’s nothing planned, nothing ready, and nothing in the cupboard. And of course if the girl isn’t fed and in bed by 6.30pm she’s a Foul Beasty. Fish fingers, anyone?

But one thing I do always keep in the freezer are stocks of frozen veg and meat – just-in-case. Of course, a hunk of frozen meat is no good at 5 in the afternoon (which is possibly why we always have them!), but they are so very handy when you’re bright and alert in the morning. Post-school-run is a good time for me, just when I’m tidying the kitchen, drinking my coffee and planning the day ahead – I frequently now add ‘dinner prep’ in there too. Because that prep involves plopping quantities of veg, meat (de-frosted, of course) and a few basic store cupboard ingredients in the slow cooker… And that’s it.

Come 5pm, I’m not glancing at the clock in horror – oh no, I’m sniffing the delicious smells, and fending off the prowling hordes patrolling the kitchen also sniffing the air in anticipation.

The Lakeland slow cooker holds enough to feed 6 of us with ease (2 adults, 4 hungry children), and it even has an auto function to make life easier still, if that were possible. The lid fits snugly – so no steam escaping, and no bubbling over –and the recipes I’ve tried so far all work beautifully.

So, thanks to this clever little machine I get all sorts of home-cooking shiny stars from the family. I am smug from providing hearty hot meals on a cold and yukko day… And it’s really too simple for words.

But hush now – don’t tell them how easy it all is. You’ll ruin my reputation.

This slow cooker is exclusive to Lakeland, and a snip at just under £33