My slow cooker is soon going to be working in overdrive – it’s such a godsend when making winter stews and casseroles.
Some of you may have seen professional chef, TikTok star, and Sunday Times bestselling author Poppy O’Toole on TV, and her newly published book, Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook, shows you how to get the most out of your slow cooker.
Featuring 90 mouth-watering recipes that focus on ease and convenience without breaking the bank or sacrificing flavour, this is the book you need to get great food on the table at the end of a busy day.
It has recipes for the ultimate slow cooker chilli con carne, as well as family favourite fakeaways, soups, curries, pasta dishes, hot chocolate and much more (including a chapter on potatoes). Poppy elevates each recipe with hacks, tips and flavour ideas, so it becomes something actually delicious. With more of us relying on quick, affordable, low-energy cooking than ever before, Poppy Cooks is the only companion you need for mastering your slow cooker and keeping everyone at your table happy.
About Poppy O’Toole
Poppy rose to TikTok fame in the 2020 lockdown, quickly becoming known for her love of potatoes.
Now, with more than 4 and a half million followers, she is a highly in-demand food influencer and has cooked alongside a host of names including Sorted Food, Big Zuu, Michel Roux Jr and Ainsley Harriott.
She is also co-host of BBC Three’s Young MasterChef.
Find Poppy @poppycooks on Tiktok and @poppy_cooks on Instagram
Poppy Cooks, the Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook is published by Bloomsbury at £20 for a hardback, this book is a must-have for any slow cooker fan.
Here are a couple of recipes that demonstrate how easy Poppy’s recipes are:
COQ AU VIN
“If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I’m partial to a slip-up with words like this (please don’t Google ‘Poppy O’Toole whim’). So as much as this classic French dish can be a bit of a … mouthful … it’s equally a properly hearty and tasty meal to enjoy for your dinner.
“This is one for a fancy date night or a dinner party to sound posh in front of your friends or family. Or as it’s just throwing it all in to the slow cooker, you could even bring it out midweek on a … whim.”
Serves 4
3 hours on high/6–7 hours on low
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
250g shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
300g chestnut mushrooms, halved
small handful of thyme, leaves picked
200g diced pancetta or chopped smoked streaky bacon
200ml dry white wine good knob of butter, cubed
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
100ml double cream
30g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon cornflour, slackened with water (optional)
salt and black pepper
Season the chicken generously with salt, then add the chicken, shallots, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, pancetta or bacon, wine, butter, stock cube, 1 teaspoon of salt and tonnes of black pepper to the bowl of your slow cooker. Put the lid on and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6–7 hours, until the chicken is completely tender.
Stir in the cream, parsley and cornflour slurry (if using), gently breaking up any larger pieces of chicken as you go. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as needed.
Spoon the coq au vin on to plates to serve.
MY SUGGESTIONS
Serve this up with buttery mashed potatoes or you can go the extra mile and chef up a dauphinoise potato for the side: put 300ml of double cream, 2 garlic cloves, thyme and rosemary sprigs in a pan with salt and pepper.
Heat it gently and let it infuse, then thinly slice 4–5 large Maris Piper potatoes as fine as you can (use a mandoline, if you have one) and layer them up in your dish. Season between each layer, pouring over a bit of your warm, infused cream each time, then pour the remaining cream over the top.
Bake for 50 minutes at 170°C/150°C fan, until golden and cooked through.
TOMATO AND PANEER CURRY
“When I went through my vegetarian era, paneer was my go-to … for everything. It’s a delicious, squeaky-type cheese that can withstand a lot of cooking. It’s still very much a staple in my house – and I hope this recipe will make sure it’s one in yours, too.”
Serves 4
4 hours on high
1 red onion, thinly sliced 4 fat garlic cloves, grated or crushed
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into 2cm slices
thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated, or peeled and julienned or finely chopped
1–2 green chillies, thinly sliced (or 1–2 teaspoons chilli flakes) 450g paneer, cut into 2–2.5cm dice
25g butter, cubed
1 x 600g jar of passata 1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon caster sugar 1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin seeds 150ml single cream
1 lime, juiced
150–200g spinach small handful of coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
salt and black pepper
Add the onion, garlic, peppers, ginger, chillies, paneer, butter, passata, tomato purée, sugar, garam masala and cumin seeds to the bowl of your slow cooker. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and lots of black pepper.
Cook on high for 4 hours, until the veg are completely tender and the paneer is pleasantly soft, but hasn’t completely fallen apart.
Stir in the cream, lime juice, spinach and coriander stalks, until the spinach has wilted. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as needed. Divide the curry between four bowls and scatter over the coriander leaves.
MY SUGGESTIONS
Make sure you cut your paneer into big enough chunks so that it doesn’t completely fall apart when you cook it.
I love this served with steamed coriander rice, and a flaky bread like a paratha to swipe up all of that sauce. Some extra sliced chilli is good, too, if you fancy.
If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can substitute the paneer for firm tofu and use a plant-based single cream
ASIAN-STYLE TURKEY MINCE
“This is a take on the meat you’d find in a yuk sung at your local Chinese restaurant or takeaway – you know the dish where you wrap it in a lettuce leaf and munch on down. For some reason, this becomes my go-to when I’m in a Keep Fit era (which is rare). I think maybe because you’re wrapping it in lettuce and turkey mince is so much leaner than other meats, you just feel it’s healthy.“
Serves 4
1 hour on high /2½ hours on low + 30–40 minutes on high, if needed
500g turkey mince
2 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1½ teaspoons Chinese five spice
1 tablespoon runny honey
1 teaspoon chilli flakes 1½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce splash of hot water
150g frozen peas
To serve
1 iceberg lettuce, leaves separated and washed
small handful of sesame seeds or crushed peanuts
2–3 spring onions, sliced
2 red chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
Break up your turkey mince into smaller pieces in the bowl of your slow cooker, using a spoon. Mix together the garlic, ginger, five spice, honey, chilli flakes, soy sauce and fish sauce in a small bowl with a splash of hot water, then pour this over the mince.
Stir to combine everything, then put the lid on and cook on high for 1 hour or on low for 2½ hours, until the mince is cooked through and the sauce is thickening slightly.
Throw in the peas when you have 30 minutes of cooking time left. If the sauce is still thin, lift the lid and cook on high for an extra 30–40 minutes.
To serve, grab your biggest leaf of iceberg lettuce, load it with your turkey mince and top with sesame seeds or crushed peanuts, sliced spring onions and red chilli.
MY SUGGESTIONS
You can make a meal of it and serve the turkey up with some delicious, cooked jasmine rice and the same garnishes.
