So what's all this about the "British" taste??? We don't use crockpots as much here, because we have the Rayburn/Aga/Esse cooker. Mine heats the house, dries the washing, bakes and roasts in the top oven, and slow cooks in the bottom one. The bottom oven also dries fruit slices, herbs,whatever, and the hotplate on top does what all good hotplates do. It's warm enough to prove bread on the hotplate cover.
Mind you, it has to earn it's keep, the oil(kerosene?) that runs it costs a bomb!!!!

Cheers, Bron.