The Cottage Smallholder

Saw this title and just had to share with you what I am having to eat right now:

Made with chicken carcass as the only meat,

pearl barley (about 100g - pre soaking weight) correctly prepared

3 medium peeled potatoes (keep peel in freezer for making next time's stock) 

1 carrot (ditto above and top and tail of carrot)

2 celery sticks

1 courgette

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

Fry up all veg in a small knob butter plus vegetable oil, put in slow cooker and add 1 pint hot homemade chicken stock, adding as many of the bits of chicken that have fallen off the carcass as you can be bothered to salvage. Add seasoning (in my case a tsp of marmite but could be salt, and pepper) 

Cook on high if having for lunch, or low if tea (and you are making in the morning) until its time to eat.  Serve with lots of grated cheese.

I am trying to minimise our meat intake - for 3 reasons, health, environment and saving money. Thus the development of this dinner. Serves two adults and a toddler.