CrumpetClub: Let It Simmer

I know - I keep going on about one-pot wonders, but really, is there anything better? Tonight, I promised to cook the Lancashire Hot-pot.

If you don't have a cast iron hot-pot you can still do this in a glass or a stainless steal casserole dish. But, trust me, try to buy a the cast iron pot - they come in handy - and you will own it for life.

Traditional dishes of Lancashire Hot-Pots were often based on economical ingredients; producing cheap but tasty dishes that would keep hard working families, in Northern England, well fed in the cold climate. Great regional dishes like the Hot-Pot were inspired out of necessity - with readily available ingredients. Most kitchens back then would rarely have stoves or ovens, so hard working wifies would prepare all the ingredients in the pot and take them down to the local butchers to put in their wood fired ovens - then, after returning from a long day at the cotton mill, they would pick up the pot from the bakers and bring back to the families table for dinner.

It is good peasant – or industrial worker – fodder. The dish is quick to prepare, left to cook gently for hours without needing attention. And it is cheap and hearty, though even so it would be a special day when such a dish could be served up for working families.

It is economical, one-pot cooking that fills people up and satisfies the stomach and soul in one go.

I like to serve mine with buttery Brussel sprouts, and warm crusty bread.