Hearty Casserol

I just chuck in lots of chunky vege - carrots, pumpkin, celery, onion, etc (I don't put potatoes in though), a splash or 3 of wine, a couple of teaspoons of garlic and ginger, a good long splash of soy sauce, salt and pepper, meat of course lol almost forgot that, then a couple of cups of water.
A couple of hours before I plan on serving I mix up about 6 cups of water and 3-4 tablespoons of flour/cornflour, shake or whisk til smooth then pour into crockpot. Give it a stir and let it thicken. Add abit more soy sauce and salt and pepper if you need to.
Serve with mashed potatoes mmmm or fettucine - another fave in our house. Rice is ok too but I'm not a big rice fan
HTH anyway I just adjust the flavourings and stuff to how we like it - DP hates the taste of wine or garlic being too strong but we both liek a really good gravy taste so soy sauce is a must!