Cooking On Contented

When we first took ownership of Contented 7 years ago, we were lucky that she already had a multi-fuel stove installed which saved uswell over a thousand pounds.

Having decided I was going to take full advantage of the stove being permanently lit from November to March by cooking on it I started experimenting. A good piece of advice I was given by seasoned boaters was, always have a kettle going. Saves heating up water for washing up and cups of tea, which as many people know, tea is a rarity in the afternoons on Contented. Cooking has not always gone to plan.......... jacket potatoes being my major failure.

I double wrapped them in foil with a bit of butter, then I had a brain wave or as it turned out, a total brain fail. My idea to get the potatoes cooking quicker, put them in the coals, cover them up with more coals and open the vent to create more heat. Well 30 minutes later they were ready!!??

So, for future reference, never ever put potatoes IN the stove. They cook far nicer if you place them in the ash tray, still double foiled with butter and I put a sprinkle of garlic salt on them as well

I have had a few successes though, full roast chicken dinner, numerous curry's and rice, soup, burgers, stews, spaghetti bolognese, chicken escalope's on a bed of onions, tomatoes, mushrooms. Basically, anything you can cook in or on a conventional oven, with a bitof planning can be done on a stove

I do have a couple of favorite meals to cook on the stove top..... Slop and Potato & Leek

soup.

Slop is basically leftover roast dinner. Throw your veg, meat, potatoes, yorkshire puddings, stuffing, gravy into a saucepan, add pint of vegetable or meat stock and extra salt/pepper if needed. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until heated through, serve with crusty bread and a nice glass of red wine - delicious.

Potato & Leek Soup, one of the easiest recipes ever. Peel and chop potatoes into bite sized chunks and put in saucepan with a pint of meat or vegetable stock. I prefer chicken stock. Add a 1 sliced leek. As the stock tends to be a bit salty I only add pepper totaste. Simmer gently until potatoes are cooked. If I'm feeling adventurous I sometimes add chopped mushrooms and a bit of chilli to give the soup a bit of bite. Again, serve with crusty bread or it’s really tasty with any type of Naan and obviously need something to wash it down, glass of red or in my case Prosecco.

I look forward to October/November when the nights draw in, the curtains are shut, and the fire is keeping us toasty warm. There is something quite mesmerising watching the flames dance and the coal glowing, we are contented on Contented.