Merlin wrote:

These all sound great. How do most of you do your stews? Slowly in the oven or do you use slow-cookers?

I'm lucky enough to have an Aga, so I let it cook slowly in an oven (which oven depends on the Aga temperature at the time!!).

Must say that I like Bovril, too, especially if I've been ill.

homemade brodo with  semi stale italian bread and parm  or with short grain italian rice and parm
risotto.. using  Suga( meat sauce) as the flavouring.

a good plate of pasta with the aforementioned  suga

spezzatino with grilled polenta.

all good mid winter meals from my childhood.   

I will admit to loving bovril too.  My dad would often make broth with it and the above mentioned bread or rice  when we would come home from school for lunch growing up.  Along with cheese toast it is still a favourite quick warming meal.

Hi,
Bovril is used as stock and alot of people drink it also.. Bit like marmite but marmite is yeast extract and bovril is meat extract. Lovely in a mug (used to dip bread in mine when I was a teenager) aint had it for ages

"Grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup."

If this was prize giving day, you'd win it Pakman.  Absolutely my favourite lunch.  I don't bother to grill/toast my sandwich though.  Just a lovely fresh cheese sandwich so I can dunk it!

Feel free to report me for my bad habits if you want   

I use a slow cooker for stews - lets me use tougher cuts, it's less work and I don't have to worry about it burning.