Food / 2 October, 2025 / Ellie Thompson
We’re serving up three Rebecca Wilson slow cooker recipes from her brand-new book, What Mummy Makes: Slow Cooker, out today.
Renowned for the Sunday Times bestsellers What Mummy Makes (2020) and Family Comforts (2021), the author, recipe developer and creator of @RebeccaWilsonFood returns with an irresistible set-and-forget line-up designed for busy families. This edition gathers Rebecca’s favourite slow-cooker dishes from across her books in one place for the first time — comforting, nutritious meals with minimal prep that feed everyone at the table, including babies from 6 months. As slow cookers surge in popularity (and the nights draw in), these Rebecca Wilson Slow Cooker Recipes make wholesome, budget-friendly weekday suppers a breeze. Put the prep in once, let the pot work its magic, and dish up cosy bowls all season long.
Chinese-style spare ribs
Super soft pork ribs coated in a sticky sauce delicately flavoured with Chinese spices; for
such minimal effort, you’ll be surprised at how delicious these are! As the meat is incredibly
soft, they are perfect for serving to little taste testers.
- Serves 2 adults and 3 littles
- Prep 30 minutes,
- Cook 4–7 hours
Ingredients
- 150ml (2/3 cup) low-sugar and low-salt ketchup
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tbsp soft brown sugar (optional)
- 1 x 90g (31?4oz) pouch of apple purée
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 low-salt chicken stock cube
- 1kg (2lb 4oz) pork spare ribs, cut between each bone
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
Add the ketchup, five-spice powder, sugar, if using, apple purée, garlic, ginger, cornflour, sesame seeds, and a little black pepper to the slow cooker pot. Crumble in the stock cube and mix really well.
Add the ribs, stirring again to coat the meat well in the sauce. Arrange the ribs so they sit in an even layer in the sauce, which will help them to cook evenly. Pop the lid on and cook on HIGH
for 4 hours or LOW for 6–7 hours.
Once done, they are ready and delicious to eat straight away. However, to take the ribs to the next level, I urge you to take one more step.
Preheat your oven to 200°C fan (220°C/425°F/Gas 7) and line a very large baking tray with non-stick foil.
Using tongs or 2 forks, carefully transfer the ribs to the baking tray, spacing them out. Be careful at this stage as the meat is really tender and falls apart easily.
Use a rubber spatula to give the remaining sauce in your slow cooker a really good stir, then spoon a generous amount onto each rib, coating the top side completely.
Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 15–20 minutes until the edges have charred slightly and the heat has caramelised the sugars in the sauce, bringing out the flavour.
Serve the ribs with oven chips and a side salad for the ultimate home takeaway!
For little ones under 2, let the ribs cool slightly, then pull the meat away from the bone. Ensure you have removed any cartilage – a slight squeeze with your fingers on any meat serving to baby will determine if there are any lumps inside.
ribs
Easy chicken and mushroom shawarma
A real family sharing meal, perfect to let the kids help themselves and decide how they want to construct their plate. Leave out the mushrooms if they don’t float your boat.
- Serves 2 adults and two littles
- Prep 20 minutes,
- Cook 3–4 hours
Ingredients
- 4 large flat mushrooms
- 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 heaped tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 3 fat garlic cloves, finely grated
- finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 3 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil or regular olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
For the garlic dip
- 4 heaped tbsp plain Greek yoghurt*
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- juice of 1 lemon
Method
Chop the large flat mushrooms into thick strips and the chicken thighs in half. Put the chicken and mushrooms in a large sealable food bag along with the spices, cornflour, garlic, lemon zest and juice, 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil and a little pepper.
Seal the bag and give it a good mix – it may help to release some of the air from inside the bag. Squeeze the chicken around the bag with your hands – this not only helps to coat the chicken in all the spices, but also helps tenderise the meat a little. You can now bake this straightaway, or marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to cook, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the slow cooker and heat the oil for 5 minutes on HIGH. Lay the chicken flat in one even layer. If you like, you can quickly sear the chicken in a frying pan over a medium-high heat until slightly charred, then add it to your slow cooker. This is an extra step, but will add more flavour to the dish!
Once the chicken is in the slow cooker, cook on HIGH for 1 hour with the lid off. After 1 hour, use tongs to turn the chicken and nestle the mushrooms around the meat.
Pour in any spiced marinade from the mushroom bag along with 2–3 tablespoons of boiling water.
Pop the lid on and cook for 2 hours on HIGH. If it is looking very dry, add a teaspoon of water. After this time, remove the lid and cook for 30 minutes with the lid off.
Mix all the dip ingredients together in a small bowl and season with a little black pepper. Prepare the salad and arrange it with the
pickles, on a platter or in bowls.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the slow cooker and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into 1.5cm (5?8in) wide strips. Place 2 pitta breads at the bottom of a serving bowl and tip the chicken and mushrooms on top, including any juices from the slow cooker. All these yummy juices will soak into the bread – my absolute favourite part!
Serve with hot sauce for the adults.
chicken schwarma
Coconut potato curry
The humble potato is the star of the show in this delicious curry. Serve as a main dish or a side with flatbread or freshly cooked rice.
- Serves 2 adults and 2 littles
- Prep 10 minutes,
- Cook 31?2–6 hours
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 heaped tbsp mild curry powder
- 1 x 400g (14oz) can of coconut milk
- 1 low-salt vegetable stock cube
- 1kg (2lb 4oz) all-rounder potatoes, like Maris piper
- 4 lumps of frozen spinach (about 200g/7oz)
- 3–4 flatbreads, to serve
Method
Peel and grate the onion on a box grater, or finely dice. Finely grate the garlic, then add the onion and garlic with the oil to the slow cooker pot and stir. Pop the lid on and cook for 10-15 minutes on HIGH.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and dice into bite-sized chunks (about 3cm/11?4in). Set aside.
Add the tomato purée, garam masala, and curry powder to the slow cooker pot and stir. Put the lid back on and cook for a further 10 minutes. Fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil.
Once everything is smelling aromatic in the slow cooker and the onion has started to cook, add the coconut milk and potatoes. Carefully fill the coconut milk can with boiling water, crumble in the stock cube, and add to the slow cooker. Stir, pop back the lid on, and cook for
3 hours on HIGH or for 5 hours on LOW.
After this time, add the frozen spinach to the slow cooker, put the lid back on, and cook for a further 30 minutes on HIGH or 1 hour on LOW.
To serve, pile the curry into bowls and tuck a flatbread into the side of each dish. Adults, feel free to add a little salt to your curry, and for babies, mash any pieces of potato which are too small for the baby to hold.
potato curry
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