I recently purchased the Tesco slow cooker using my clubcard vouchers. I had £12 worth of vouchers I didn't know what to do with, so when I stumbled across the slow cooker while browsing Tesco website and saw it reduced from £15 to £12, I couldn't refuse!

I have had a slow cooker before - a Crock-Pot branded one - which I loved but unfortunately broke the ceramic pot, which left me slow cooker-less for a year or so as I never got round to replacing it (until now). I did miss not having one, as I really think that casseroles, curries, chilli etc. just don't taste the same when cooked the conventional way. Slow cookers are also fantastic for cooking joints and whole chickens as the meat just falls off the bone and totally absorbs any flavour you put in with it.

The main thing putting me off replacing my Crock-Pot slow cooker, was the fact our family is soon to become one of 6 people, and the larger sized slow cookers (especially branded, which I really wanted) are much more expensive. I know the Tesco slow cooker is a smaller size, but as I was effectively getting it for nothing I figured it'd be worth getting - as a spare/extra/for the kids dinners if nothing else.

So, I click and collected the new slow cooker, took it straight home with some ingredients for a bolognese, and set it going on high in preparation for dinner that evening. When I took it out of the box I was initially a bit worried by how compact it looks (about the same size as my 2 slice toaster!). It says it's 3.3L on the box, whereas my previous one was 3.5L - so not much difference, but it looked so much smaller! However, it easily made enough bolognese for the 5 of us to eat that evening, plus extra for the kids to have another day - so maybe we don't need a larger sized one after all, and the compact size is actually a bonus as it doesn't dominate the kitchen.

In terms of looks, the Tesco slow cooker definitely exceeds my expectations for something so inexpensive. It has a lovely brushed stainless steel outer casing (far nicer and more expensive looking than glossy steel), and a solid feeling pot. It has the standard glass lid, and 3 settings - low, high and warm, which is all you need. Some slow cookers also have a medium setting but I've never used it personally. The warm setting is brilliant, and keeps the food lovely and hot without cooking it further. My husband and I find this really useful as often the children want their tea early, but we prefer to eat together later in the evening.

In terms of functionality, this does all you'd expect of a slow cooker 3-4 times the price. It cooks effectively and we have been very pleased with the results we've had so far. The quality seems perfectly adequate, but obviously time will tell if it holds up over the years - I can't see why it wouldn't, though to be honest at £12 even if it only lasted a couple of years I'd be happy.

To sum up - I think that this is a fantastic item which offers superb value for money. I am now thinking of buying the matching Tesco kettle (£15) and 4 slice toaster (£20) to complete the set! My husband is certainly very happy for me to do so, rather than spending around the £100 mark for branded items with the same specifications. It almost seems mad to spend that much now (and that's coming from a brand snob!).