Pot roasting is a very useful method for dealing with the less tender cuts of meat, such as small lean joints of topside or silverside and blade or chuck steak (look for some marbling of fat throughout and often labeled in supermarkets as housekeeper’s cuts) but rolled brisket is often considered best as it has a perfect fat to meat ratio.

Coq au Vin Blanc was a regular winter dish in my house when we were growing up. I have distinct memories of it steaming up the kitchen windows while we did our homework on the kitchen table. It’s a wonderfully warming meal, perfect for cold evenings. Chicken joints such as thighs and legs are often far cheaper to buy than chicken breasts, and meat cooked on the bone always seems to have more flavour.