So, February is coming to an end and autumn is swiftly on its heels. Already the nights have been getting colder and it's getting hard to get out of bed in the morning before the sun rises. We're personally so excited about the colder months coming for one reason: stew!

Whether you eat it from a can, enjoy it at a restaurant or tackle it at home, stew can be so good. Not only is it salty, creamy, tasty, filling and warming, but slow-cooked meat such as the casserole beef in stews is amazing for your health. Slow-cooked and stewed meats draws minerals like calcium and magnesium from bones, which are easier for the body to absorb. Slow cooking breaks down collagen in tougher cuts of meat, making it more tender. It also extracts nutrients from joints, tendons, and cartilage, which can help maintain cartilage structure. 

If you're reading this so far but you disagree, you hate stew or you can never get it right, keep reading! Good stew is actually super easy, it just requires you to be aware of these four potential mistakes:

Mistake 1. Using the wrong cut of meat.
If you hit the butcher shop but aren't sure which cut to use for your stew, don't hesitate to ask one of our knowledgeable butchers. They will give you their expert advice according to what kind of stew you're going to make. The best meats we generally recommend include cuts like lamb shank, rump chunks and stewing bones. PS. Don't think of stew as an 'everything-but-the-kitchen-sink', use high quality fresh meat and veg. If you have a freezer burned piece of meat in the freezer you're thinking of using, no way! Tight and dry meat will only become more tight and dry and ruin the stew experience all together.

Mistake 2. Chopping rather than dicing.
Avoid still hard potato, mushy carrot, chewy meat and non-existent onion: careful chop your veg and meat to considerable bite-sized pieces. The rule of thumb is to cut all veggies to an equal size so that they can cook evenly. The same goes for the meat when you are dicing (making cube-like pieces) try not to chop the meat into tiny pieces as they will shrink, and you'll be left with straggly chewy meat. Aim for cubes about 3-4 cms.

Mistake 3. Adding the meat to the pot raw
We know you're trying to save time and money making a stew, especially if you're using a slow cooker. Pretty please give the meat a good searing before you put it in the pot with the veggies and sauce, this will boost its naturally rich flavour! Take your time with browning and don't overload the pan, give each cube space so that it can brown up nicely. This adds layers of flavour and textures to your stew. It is not a step to be skipped.

Mistake 4. Giving too much or not enough attention to the sauce
The perfect stew sauce should be right between the thickness of gravy and the runniness of stock. There is a balance to be found, if you have made stew before and found it a little runny, try covering the diced meat in plain flour before browning this will help give the sauce some body. And if you are on the other end of the scale with mega thick sauce, try to avoid the urge to add cornstarch or flour too early. Also keep in mind that the sauce will thicken as it cools. Coat the back of a spoon and run your finger through the sauce. If it leaves a clean streak, even if it looks a little runny in the pot, it's probably done so take it off the heat!

If you're not excited for stewing season yet, get ready! The health benefits and soul benefits are unmatched. See you in June for a delicious winter-y stew! In the meantime, enjoy a warm but still summer-y lemongrass chicken soup!