On those cold, snowy nights, the slow cooker must come into play. This was totally simple, but utterly delicious. Soft, flaky beef and sweet little chunks of carrot, in a thick oozy gravy. Total cost? About £3 for two big servings.

Beef casserole:

300g stewing steak, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

200g baby onions, peeled and halved

1 pint beef stock

1 teaspoon thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon butter

Chopped parsley

Coat the beef in half the flour and season liberally. Fry in batches in a large pan, allowing to brown. Set to one side and fry the vegetables in the same pan gently for five minutes.

Place in a slow cooker on low and cover with the beef stock and herbs. Cook for 7 hours or until the beef is tender.

Strain off all the goodies and pour the liquids into a saucepan and boil fast to reduce down. Mix the flour and butter together to make a beurre manié and whisk vigorously into the sauce to thicken. Add the veg / meat back into the pan and serve with parsley, scooping up the debris with plenty of bread.