You'll have plenty of bones left over from the stew above. You may also decide to roast up a chicken over the weekend after reading all these great things about it and you'll have plenty of bones and the carcass from this.

I used to think making my own stock is a big deal and extremely time consuming! However, I started to notice that as I bought more chicken on the bone (which I find tastier and a little more nutritious) and cooked more dishes with chicken on the bone, I always had left over chicken bones. All I do is chuck these into a large saucepan and throw whatever happens to be in my fridge at the time. I usually add 1 carrot, 1-2 onions, a stick or two of celery, a few peppercorns, a few bay leafs and any herbs I have at the time.

The important thing with making your own stock at home is once you have all of the ingredients in the saucepan, cover with cold water (never hot) and put on a low heat. Sometimes it can take up to half an hour to come to the boil, and let simmer away for about 30-40 minutes after this.

Allow to cool slightly, drain in a sieve and put in fridge for a few days or mark and date it and put into freezer - easy.