What are your Sunday evenings made of? I don’t want to sound like a weirdo but mine are generally spent on Pinterest (of course you expected that!). I know what you’re thinking but actually I’m not at all looking for travel inspiration, stylish outfits or falling down the rabbit hole of the hundreds of DIYs fellow bloggers generously share.

Actually, on Sunday evenings, I am meal-planning. Not so glamorous! But hear me out: I’ve always loved cooking and my mom is a pretty great cook herself. She was always teaching us about the nutritional values of things (she readily confesses she would have loved to be a dietician), the beauty of using fresh, seasonal and local produce and she had a black book of organic farms and shops before organic was even a thing. It was wonderful to watch her in the kitchen growing up and as a teenager I started to be more confident in my own abilities, volunteering to make a dessert most weekends and taking care of our contributions to gatherings and parties with friends.

These days, my family has come to expect I’ll be the one with the apron on at Christmas, marshalling the ballet of six to eight dishes gracing our table, and it’s not uncommon for me to start talking about the menu a month in advance, selecting and testing the recipes from miles away in our little London flat. I love to see the look on their face when I bring something that looks and smells delicious to the table and for me, the pleasure in cooking really is all about doing something nice for the ones you love and seeing the happiness that it brings to them.

Since moving in with Rob, I’ve loved discovering his go-to recipes (anything to do with eggs in case you’re wondering: eggs Royale, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella frittata, medley of mushrooms omelettes) and sharing mine too. We have a bit of a routine now where I’ve roped him into my Pinterest obsession and on Sundays I will often come up with new recipes to try, have a look around what’s left in our fridge, freezer and cupboards and finally do our shopping list for the ten days or so ahead.

Today I thought it’d be fun to share with you the fruits of my research of the day: some wonderful winter-warming recipes. We bought a slow-cooker this September and we’ve only used it a couple of times but I’m keen to get more recipes under my belt because what is best than throwing things in a crockpot in the morning, forgetting about it during the day and coming home to a delicious dinner? Not much, evidently.

I hope you’ll enjoy the recipes below, I for one cannot wait to try them and I’ll be reporting on my findings. Do let me know if you have a slow-cooker at home too, and what are some of your favourite recipes.

Slow Cooker Recipes: Meaty Picks

Honey Garlic Chicken by Kelly from Just a Taste

Pear and Sausage Stuffing by Lindsay from Pinch of Yum

Slow Cooker Recipes: Vegetarian Picks

Creamy Pumpkin Soup by Lindsey from Cafe Johnsonia

Quinoa, White Bean and Kale Soup by Chelsea from Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Slow Cooker Recipes: World Cuisine Picks

Red Lentil Dal by Lindsey from Cafe Johnsonia

Tell me: Do you have a slow cooker in your kitchen? What recipes do you love? Are you going to try some of these winter warmers?