Heat a little olive oil and cooking spray in a large frying pan over medium/high heat. Add meat cubes and brown on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Turn slow cooker on high. Pour the wine into the hot frying pan and deglaze the pan, freeing up any bits of meat or fat that are stuck. Pour into slow cooker. Add all the vegetables, including the garlic.

Pour water into a one-cup measuring cup. Add all the seasonings, aside from the bay leaf, and mix well. Carefully pour over the meat and veggies.

Tear the bay leaf in half and put half on either side of the slow cooker. Cook on high for five hours or on low for seven to eight hours, mixing occasionally if possible. If necessary, add a little water midway. (I didn’t, but every slow cooker is different, and some people want a lot of gravy!)