I talk a lot about how my childhood shaped the way I cook, but apart from Grandad’s Bread Pudding, I don’t have a lot of recipes from my childhood. I don’t remember Ma following them or having many cookbooks around and although she can cook, she doesn’t take pleasure in the process.

But there was food, there was a sausage casserole thing that we called roly poley, there was mince, there was corned beef hash, there were pies and there was boiled chicken. Which is exactly what it sounds like. A chicken boiled (usually in the pressure cooker) with onions, carrots and potatoes. It wasn’t a stew and Ma usually served with rice, although you can make dumplings if you want to but they tend to change the texture of it. It should be thin, like a broth with chunks of meat and veg in it.

It’s the food I want when it’s cold or I’m sick and after a few attempts, I’ve finally got a method that tastes like my mum used to make it. Is it as good as hers? Is there anything better than your mum’s cooking when it’s something you love? No probably not but it’s pretty close and it makes me happy!

What

4 chicken legs

potatoes – any sort, I usually half or quarter about 250g of new potatoes but Ma used bigger ones and peeled and chopped them

4-5 carrots – chopped into large chunks. Peel if the carrots are looking manky, otherwise throw them in unpeeled

2-3 onions, peeled and cut into 6 wedges

water

salt and pepper to taste

How

This is really easy. Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker, add water to the top, cook on high for 5 – 8 hours

Take the chicken legs out and remove the bones and yucky stuff then return chicken to pot. That’s it. I eat it by itself or with rice.