In the UK during December the days are short (where I’m from it starts going dark at around 3:30pm) and the weather is cold. Not surprising that our traditional recipes are warm and filling. Pot roast is one of these – throw it all into a pot, cook slowly in the oven and enjoy.


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The ingredients can vary according to what you have in the cupboard – leeks, potatoes, carrots, swede and other root vegetables are all common winter vegetables. Here’s my mum’s recipe:

Ingredients
Shoulder or brisket of beef 1-4lb in weight (alternatively a whole chicken works well too)
Several carrots
2-3 onions
Several potatoes
4 cloves garlic
A bay leaf
About 3 sticks celery
Any herbs to hand
Seasoning

Method
Heat the oven to 160 degrees C. Season the meat, then brown on all sides in a cast iron pot with a little olive oil. Put on one side.

Next chop the onions and garlic and brown slightly in the pot. Return the meat to the onions and garlic, add the other vegetables cut into chunks.

Add enough vegetable stock or water to come halfway up the pot. Add the bay leaf and a few dried fresh chopped herbs. Bring to the boil and cover firmly with the lid. Cook in the oven for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

Read more
Britain’s 10 favourite foods
Winter treats in the Netherlands
Winter driving in Canada

About the author

Lucy is English and first ventured out of the UK she was 19. Since then she has lived in 4 different countries and tried to see as much of the world as possible. She loves learning languages, learning about different cultures and hearing different points of view.