Thanks for the timing infos, and for the fact veggies are better on High. Super useful… 
Yes, they did. That’s the perfect description. I’d upload a picture, but they don’t look good… 
Food and mental health talk
I don’t often have meat I could slow cook. It’s more usually processed things or already-cooked things. I do sometimes get sausages, either meat, or meat free. Anything fresh I get that day, comes in after the supermarket closes, so it’s anytime from 9-11pm. Sometimes later. And I have a tiny fridge.
Worth noting that the small whole chicken these same neighbours gave me with the slow cooker for Christmas was the first whole chicken I had ever cooked. Or even touched. So that was scary, and a bit shocking if I’m honest, but I did it, and it came out great. Proud of myself because when I first saw it I absolutely panicked. It also took me hours to prep, following an online set of instructions, but it was worth it, 100%. I didn’t want to waste that little life, y’know? <3
I was veggie for 23 years, and never taught how to cook by my family, who also absolutely hated it, so I’ve lived off processed stuff and ready meals, even when I had money, for a long time. Or I’d just do the British thing and boil the life out of veggies to have with something. In fact I went veggie at Uni in part because I realised I had no clue what to do. I’d happily lean towards mostly veggie again if I could reliably prep stuff. Better for me, critters, and the planet.
The potatoes came out black in places, yellow-brown all over (from the stock?), and were obviously just badly waterlogged. The carrots were knobbly on one side and mushy on the other. The onions were okay, but admittedly a bit slimey when lukewarm. It didn’t look, or taste, at all appetising.
I’d cooked them overnight, then switched them off in the morning, then left them to eat for lunch, which was likely the issue. They were also quite old veggies, so that could be a big part of why.
Then I’d also steamed some cabbage and courgettes, but they too were overdone. And mushy/slimey/unappetising.
My oven broke before Christmas. The landlord is going to replace it thankfully, but wants to know what kind I want, and I have absolutely no clue. And meanwhile I’d like to get the slow cooker working out right because I hear really good things about them, and I think it would suit me. A friend in the US says she roasts everything, and it comes out good, so once I get the oven back, I will try to get back to that as well. I’ve done it a couple of times following her instructions or since a few times by following things online, and it worked out pretty well.
If I don’t speak maths, I also really don’t speak food prep/storage. In fact I was thinking yesterday that it’s possible my relationship with food in general is ‘broken’. When I am particularly stressed, I can only eat processed stuff. It’s like my body doesn’t trust fresh somehow, or me to cook it. And it kind of sees it as yucky. So veggies have to wait a while sometimes until I get to them.
For a while now have been seriously considering asking some kind soul to physically come and help me (once I’m boosted in a couple of weeks). Even having help setting up the kitchen in a better way would probably be good. My online friend might help me, but they’re busy, and also in the US, so I’m not sure kitchen arranging is a Zoomable activity. I know a local caterer who is lovely, but busy, but was wondering if I paid her from my savings for an afternoon, that could be a very worthwhile investment, just to get me started.
tldr; It’s a struggle for me, and long has been. I do make excellent smoothies when I have the puff to do that. And I do like eating in general. No problems at all with that…
Think I just struggle with Executive Function/Panic/Not knowing what to do sometimes in the kitchen, and I have literally no skill bank to fall back on. If that makes sense.
I might have to check it out sometime, but for now gonna go with one that’s not an hour away!