In a large bowl, put your minced meat, skinned sausages or sausage meat. Grate over the garlic and sprinkle with the herbs. The sausage will have all the binding agents you need in the form of breadcrumbs but you may want to add some seasoning here.

Squeeze the meat together and mix with your hands until all the ingredients are fully combined. If your slow cooker pan can go on the hob, heat it with the olive oil and toss in 1 inch diameter meatballs as you make them to brown them lightly. If not, do this in a large sauce pan. Don’t make them too small or they may fall apart.

Pour over your tomato sauce and shake the pan to mix it in – stirring may break them up so a wiggle will do you. I quite like my meatballs not swimming in sauce so add the lower amount of sauce but you may like to add a bit more – remember, there will be little evaporation in the slow cooker and you aren’t trying to make meatball soup so be judicious!

Pop the lid on and transfer to your slow cooker base (or pour into the pan from your saucepan if your crock isn’t hob safe) and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Sprinkle with the cheese as you put the pasta on to serve with. I add a cup of sweetcorn and a cup of garden peas to my pasta but please do as you prefer. A side salad and some lovely bread would make an excellent alternative serving suggestion or microwave a baking potato if you can’t bare to deal with anything more complicated at the end of another long hard day at work.