From joy’s humble crumble kitchen

Slow cookers make light work at dinner time and are energy efficient - great on the pocket as well! Assemble your dish and allow the gorgeous flavours to come together over a low heat. Here are a couple of recipes including a vegetarian stew - All recipes can be batch cooked, shared and frozen for another day.

Slow Cooked Sausage

CASSEROLE serves 4 - 6

1lb/450g sausages • variety of vegetables 1 tsp mixed herbs and 2 garlic cloves crushed 400g tin chopped tomatoes • 400ml beef stock Method

1. Fry the sausages in a little oil - drain - add to the slow cooker.

2. Add any choice of diced vegetables, 1 onion, 3 carrots, 1 celery stick, 1 red pepper, 1 courgette, a bit of butternut or leek, plus the herbs, garlic and tin tomatoes

3. Pour over the beef stock - mix well together. Cook for 4 hours, take out sausages and slice - return to slow cooker. Add gravy granules to thicken if desired about half an hour before end of cook time. Great with mash!

Slow Cooked Chicken Curry Serves 4

Slow Cooked Vegetarian Dumpling Stew

2 tbsp oil • 1 lge onion - diced

2 garlic cloves - crushed 2 carrots - 1cm rounds 300g mushrooms - sliced

3 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 x 400g tins green lentils - drained 700ml veg. stock 150ml red wine thyme plus 1 tbsp marmite - opt. Method

1. Heat oil, gently fry the onion for 10 minutes. Add garlic and tomato puree

2. Add the flour to coat the onion mix - season

3. Add red wine, stir well to prevent lumps forming - transfer to slow cooker

8 skinless chicken thighs • 2 tbsp butter • 2 tbsp olive oil • 1 onion - diced • 3 cloves garlic, crushed • 2 tbsp tomato puree • 2 tsp curry powder • 2 tsp tandoori masala • 1 tbsp curry paste • 400g coconut milk • 245g low fat plain yogurt. Method

1. Heat butter and olive oil over low heat. Add the chicken, onion, garlic and curry seasoning and stir fry gently for 10 mins.

2. Put mix into a slow cooker, add the tomato puree, coconut milk and yogurt and mix well together. Cook on ‘auto’ for 4 - 6 hours or on ‘low’ for 6 - 8 hours Serve with basmati rice and warmed naan bread

4. Add carrots, mushrooms, lentils, stock, thyme & seasoning. Slow cook ‘auto’ for 4 hours.

DUMPLINGS - 100g SR flour • 40g butter or vegan spread • 1 tsp thyme. In a bowl rub the flour, butter/vegan spread, until you have breadcrumbs using finger tips. Add thyme and seasoning. Sprinkle 2-3 tbsp. cold water and mix until it comes together - make 8 balls. Add dumplings 1 hour before end of cook time.

Dance is ageless. Forget your Age! Live your Life! Dance for Lifelong Wellbeing.

Dance-based exercise is a way to a long and healthy life. The Community of Adult Dance [COAD]’s mission, is to bring Dance and Exercise to the Island’s local communities with fun, uplifting classes for third-agers - both Seated and Active exercisers.

Dance has a lasting, positive effect on older learners: it keeps you supple, it’s an aerobic exercise; it increases your strength, balance and spatial awareness; it makes you use your brain, and it gives you plenty of social contact.

Methodist Church Hall, Foreland Rd Bembridge PO35 5UD

Every Wednesday 11:00-12:00

Seated Exercise improves your quality of life: restoring your energy levels, helping to reduce stress, assisting weight loss – and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease while improving your immune system.

74-year-old Anna, says: “Dance is a wonderful discipline, both mentally and physically”.

60-year-old Ian says: “It’s great Exercise that doesn’t involve going to the gym!”

Jane, 63, wanted to find an adult Ballet class: she was inspired watching a woman of 70 perform “…with such grace, demonstrating how beautiful older age can be.”

Four Benefits of Chair Exercises

• Improve your Posture and Balance.

• Strengthen your Shoulders.

• Lubricate Knee Joints.

• Increase your Upper Body Flexibility.

Silversands, Church Road, Bembridge PO35 5AA

- 15:00

Designed for older learners, Silver Swans Ballet, seated Dance-Exercise and adult Tap Dance not only keep you fit and active, but also keep your mind in shape!

RAD Silver Swans teachers – like Suki – are trained to teach a range of abilities over the age of 55. Join a local group to help improve your life, your mobility, posture, co-ordination, and your social circle too!

See main advert above for more details. Suki Turner ARAD. LISTD Dip. www.coad.dance

Wow... we’ve made it past the worst month of the year! January seems to have 485 days in it so I am glad that we are now in February. I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels like this.

Weather wise there isn’t much difference between the two months - they are both usually wet, cold and windy. (sorry I tried to think of something positive to say here but I couldn’t find the words!).

This month I am looking forward to two events, the first being St Valentine’s Day, I will leave the obligatory reminders around the house for my hubby to remember. I never feel guilty eating the chocolates he buys as we all know when chocolates are a gift they are calorie free!!

The second event is on Tuesday 21st February and is of course Pancake Day... ahh pancakes, what’s not to love about them. I am a traditionalist when it comes to them, and I am very easy to keep happy with just some lemon and sugar. However, you like yours, savoury or sweet, I hope you enjoy them.

You will find this issue once again packed with information and news, local businesses advertising their services and of course the puzzle page and special features.

I hope you enjoy this issue and I look forward to catching up with you again next month when Spring will definitely be on the horizon.

I hope you all have a great February and enjoy your pancakes!

Vivien’s Curtains and Blinds

From her home-based studio and workshop in Bembridge, local resident Vivien Bromilow, who has years of experience in the highly specialised area of quality curtains, blinds and upholstery offers a bespoke service for window dressings and soft furnishings and loves the challenge of coming up with solutions for every room.

Having previously been employed by major companies, such as Debenhams and Laura Ashley, as well as having run shops of her own, Vivien says she much prefers working independently one-to-one with clients.

With an intricate knowledge of everything from fabrics to curtain poles and fitting she has a trained eye for design, she can offer expert advice on selecting suitable fabrics and poles for every setting. She has plenty of samples to show customers or will happily work with their own pieces.

Vivien specialises in hand-made curtains, roman blinds, cushions and duvet covers, as well as doing alterations, and is able to give advice on all aspects of window dressings as well as offering an installation service.

Vivien can also order venetians and roller blinds direct from the factory.

For more information and contact details see Vivien’s main advert above.

The views and opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers are their own and do not reflect the views of the Editor or Island Magazines unless stated otherwise. Island Magazines reserves the right to refuse or alter material where necessary.