Roughly chop the ½ Onion.

Place the stew pot on the burner, setting it to a medium heat.

Pour in a light layer of oil, just enough to coat the bottom of your pan.

Add the onions you just chopped.

Chop your root vegetables and squash.

Peel the butternut squash and chop it into pieces.

Wash the potatoes and chop them into roughly the same size as the squash.

Add the squash and potatoes to the pot to brown, stirring them into the onions.

Cover pot with lid.

Peel and chop the carrots and parsnips.

Add carrots and parsnips to the pot, stirring them into what is already cooking.

Add some water (2-3 inches in the bottom of the pot works well), from the kettle.

Replace lid.

Wash your zucchini and mushrooms.

Chop off the very ends of the zucchini and slice off the very edge of the mushroom’s stalk.

Cut them to about the same size as the carrot and parsnip pieces.

Add zucchini and mushrooms to the pot, stirring occasionally.

Add more water (about half-way up the pot, should do), from the kettle.

Replace lid.

Wash your apples and chop them smaller than the other ingredients.

Add the apple pieces to the stew pot.

Open the tins of stewed tomatoes and pumpkin puree.

Add tomatoes and pumpkin slowly, stirring in if you can.

Add all the spices previously listed, stirring everything together.

Add water from the kettle, ideally covering the pot’s contents.

Set a timer for 30 minutes.

Stir the pot every half hour for the duration of cook time.

Let it boil at medium heat for about 2 hours, lowering it to the midway mark between low and medium.

Serve and enjoy.