There are a number of benefits to using a slow cooker, but one of their main plus points is that they’re highly convenient — you don’t even need to check and stir your ingredients. With a clear display, it’s easy to see how long your food has got left and lets you set the table ready for your slow-cooked feast.

In her free time, Blossom openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing. The downside of ceramic is that it’s heavy – very heavy by the time it’s full of food – to carry to the table and it’s harder to clean than a non-stick pot. Like its fellow Crock-Pot above, this easy-to-use slow cooker is large enough to feed a family of six. Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.It also scored strongly for its ability to slow cook meat and vegetables on high; however, it seemed to struggle a little when we tested for low and slow cooking, leaving a few lentils in our soup a little harder than we’d have liked. Display, clear buttons, and a non-stick coating are all small details that make the slow cooker more user-friendly.

The last thing you want is to be lifting the lid every now and then to check progress, as heat and steam will quickly escape and add to your cooking time. The upsides are that it retains heat well at the table and you can clean it without fear of damaging a non-stick surface.Everything about this machine feels sturdy and its clear controls and three heat settings (high, low and keep warm) make it easy to use. Please note that an item's colour as shown on the listing is only a guide and may have shade variations with the product itself. A programmable timer allows you to set the perfect cooking duration while auto keep-warm means your meal is ready when you are.

The low and high settings can be used for classic slow-cooking methods, whereas the keep-warm setting is ideal for serving hot meals at a later time.You can set it to cook – at low or high heat – for anything from 30 minutes to 20 hours, in 30-minute increments. Ideal for entertaining, the countdown timer allows you to plan ahead, counting down as your meal cooks so you can go out for the day or enjoy more time with family and friends while it cooks a flavoursome, home-made meal. But there are more affordable large slow cookers out there and more versatile multi-cookers on the market, giving the Crock-Pot a real run for its money.