Darina Allen: Cosy recipes for the slow cooker and crock pot

I love these crisp frosty mornings —fortunately my commute is just two or three minutes across the courtyard to the converted apple barn that has housed the Ballymaloe Cookery School for more than 20 years now, so I don’t have to worry about icy roads. Instead I daydream about the unctuous stew or casserole I’ll make for supper, so this week I thought I’d share some of my favourites.
Can you imagine anything better to look forward to than a bubbling pot of deliciousness, if you have a magic slow cooker or crock pot the aroma will greet you when you arrive home, battle-weary, after a day’s work — what could be more comforting?