I am hoping to buy a slow cooker over the next couple of weeks and wondered if anyone had any recommendations? We are a couple who work pretty long hours, so having the tea ready for when we come in would be great!

Our budget would be up to about £40.

I bought a Morphy Richards one last week and it's fine. It was up at £29.99 in my local hardeware shop and they had it on offer at £19.99. For that money I couldn't go wrong. If your a couple you don't need a huge one so no need to go over £40. Slow cookers are not complex pieces of equipment, so no point in paying much for one. Oh, and they are perfect for a busy working couple!

Is it OK to fill your slow cooker up the night before (ie brown any meats, put your bits and bobs in) then leave overnight with the cooker off ready to be turned on the morning after? Its really the part cooking the meat and letting it cool that worries me doing that.

Just do it the night before, and leave the slow cooker on the lowest setting, I can smell it now

I prepare it the night before and then put the dish insert in the fridge. Perfectly safe.

Do you mean start cooking the night before? won't that be on for too long ie nearly 24hours!!

No its fine, lovely tender meat, plenty of flavour.
Just put the cooker on the lowest setting

I bought a stainless steel one from Tesco for my daughter & she said it works great, its oval shaped & large enough to take a whole chicken.
My own is a Crock Pot slow cooker which is great too & looks nice on the work top.

24 hours is a bit long for most stuff even on low. It would be ready in 8 hours. Waste of electricity.

If you buying a slow cooker and new to it, dont buy too bigger a dish! They recommend you fill them atleast half full now a days, so if there is 2 of you, a massive one, wont actually circulate enough liquid to slow cook the contents of it.

I have a Tower Slo-Cooker Compact and it's still going strong after 19 years.

Was in Tesco earlier they have a lovely one in black for £9.98 the same one I bought my daughter.

Does anyone have any experience of the Morphy Richards Ecolectric 48790 3.5L 150w slow cooker? It has a silicon seal on the lid to stop heat escaping and can be seen here.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Richa.../dp/B001CDJ19A