I'm not one of these people that enjoys cooking but I do like my crockpot and casseroles, especially now it's turning a bit cooler and the season for hearty soups and stews is almost upon us. I'm looking to expand my horizons since I always end up making the same old things and am putting my faith in you all.

Bearing in mind I'm no Emeril here, simple is good. I like in particular inexpensive but tasty “throw it all in and forget it until it's ready” type dishes comprised mainly of store cupboard ingredients. My nearest store's tiny and 20 mins away. I doubt he'd have saffron or fresh ginger. I like pretty much anything so am not fussed about whether it's spicy, got garlic, what type of meat etc.

And the challenge? To refute my son's remark, in between grimaces, that everything that comes out of a crockpot or casserole dish is rubbish and tastes the same. (Maybe I'm being too heavy handed with the condensed chicken/mushroom soup these days, granted…) Please, help me prove him wrong!

Sounds tasty to me, thanks for that. He'll eat mostly potatoes and corn. I love broccoli and cauliflower, so maybe I'll just throw him a pizza in instead and make it for us! He does like pasta and rice ok as well. What's the pretend chicken stuff, is it quorn or something? I had that once and it was better than I thought it would be. Honestly, meat I can take or leave - if it were up to me, we're rarely if ever have it. I'm happy with salads and pasta. I do like fish though.