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Slow cookers can save hob space and energy, resulting in cheaper bills and more space to cook the rest of your Christmas dishes
Families across the UK are gearing up for the ultimate culinary challenge at Christmas. The feast demands precision, patience and plenty of advanced preparation.
But there’s no need to panic. as, Tesco’s head chef Jamie Robinson is here to help. Here, Jamie, 32, shares his expert advice on how you can use your slow cooker to save time, space and energy during the festive season.
“People want to enjoy their Christmas Day and the last thing you need is someone stuck in the kitchen stressing about getting it ready in time,” Jamie tells The Mirror.
“Red cabbage is a good one to throw in the slow cooker in the morning. You can put all your red cabbage in there at 9am in the morning and that frees up your morning. It’s all about maximising space.”
You can even use your slow cooker to keep gravy warm, with Jamie sharing his secret ingredient for making the best sauce to pour over your roast on Christmas Day. “I always add red currant jelly to my gravy, specifically at Christmas, because it’s really festive and it gives it a lovely sweetness,” he says.
“Red cabbage is a good one to throw in the slow cooker in the morning. You can put all your red cabbage in there at 9am in the morning and that frees up your morning. It’s all about maximising space.”
You can even use your slow cooker to keep gravy warm, with Jamie sharing his secret ingredient for making the best sauce to pour over your roast on Christmas Day. “I always add red currant jelly to my gravy, specifically at Christmas, because it’s really festive and it gives it a lovely sweetness,” he says.
“Another top tip is to add the roasting juice from your Turkey into the mix. I also add star anise.
“That’s like one of my signature flavour profiles, literally just two star anise in a gravy for six or eight people. It just gives it a lovely floral Christmas spice.”
And it’s not just a slow cooker that Jamie makes use of, as he encourages Brits to dust off “every single thing in the kitchen” ahead of the big day. He adds: “I think I use pretty much every single thing in my kitchen when it comes to cooking a Christmas dinner.
“I use the microwave for a lot of green vegetables. There’s enough moisture in the greens, add a dollop of butter in a dish wrapped in clingfilm and you can almost steam them in the microwave.
“If you have cooked your Yorkies the day before, just warming them back through in the air fryer. They take 30 seconds and crisp up lovely.”
Jamie’s ultimate gravy recipe
Ingredients (Serves 4):
1 Tesco Finest Beef Stock
1 Tesco Finest Chicken Stock
2 onions
1 carrot
Quarter of a head of celery
Half a leek
1 head of garlic
Half a bunch of thyme
25g tomato puree
25g Tesco redcurrant jelly
Half a glass of red wine
500g chicken wings (optional)
Gravy granules – approx 15g
Instructions:
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Preheat a heavy-based pan with a splash of olive oil on medium heat (I don’t usually cook with olive oil but as we are cooking on a medium heat it will not burn and adds great flavour).
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Peel and roughly chop all the vegetables and herbs and set aside – If using the chicken wings roast in the oven at 180ºC for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
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Add all the vegetables to the pan and cook down until caramelised, this should take around 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, add the tomato puree, and stir well (don’t worry if the base of the pan is sticking a bit as this will add flavour).
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Next, add the red wine to deglaze the pan. Reduce by half and then add the stocks – at this stage add the chicken wings if using. Simmer for 30mins and then add the recurrent jelly.
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When ready, pass the gravy mixture through a fine sieve into a clean pan and put back onto a high heat. Reduce the gravy by roughly one third, until the flavour is perfect, then thicken with gravy granules to the right consistency (I use good old Bisto to thicken mine) and enjoy!
