Please explain...

[ILoveAFullFridge]

...bread sauce.

I have lived in England for nearly half a century (WTAF!) and I don't think I have ever seen or tasted it.

[Jaynebxl]

Well you need to sort out the missing bit of your cultural education then cos it is gorgeous stuff!

[raisah]

I haven't tasted it either but the thought of a sauce made out of bread & milk doesnt sound v appealing tp asian tastebuds! I will try it though just to say that I have & I maybe pleasantly surprised.

[justmuddlingalongsomehow]

It's GORGEOUS!

[LondonMother]

I'm going to give it a try this year, mainly because so many MNers have recommended it. It's not just bread and milk. There's cream, butter, nutmeg, cloves, onion and bayleaf in there too, so the taste must be not dissimilar to bechamel sauce, which I love. I imagine bechamel is a lot smoother than bread sauce, because it's made with flour rather than breadcrumbs and the flour and fat combine. I'll report back.

[lilolilmanchester]

I make it every Christmas any love it , goes so well with Turkey/goose. Really cheap and easy to make - why not make some and try it?

[ILoveAFullFridge]

Sounds like old-fashioned baby food!

Can it be made without milk? (Relatively dairy-free household.)

[WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes]

It's disgusting, I'm amazed so many like it.

[ILoveAFullFridge]

X-posted with LondonMother.

Can anyone recommend a recipe?

[WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes]

x-posted, my mum makes it with goats milk for dairy free DDad.

[justmuddlingalongsomehow]

Delia has a good recipe iirc.

[Kefybaby]

It does taste like bechamel sauce, London. To me, anyway. I only tried it once. I liked it but I can still not figure out what you are meant to do with it.

[ILoveAFullFridge]

Is it runny or blobby?

[17leftfeet]

It's absolutely rank

[EeyoreIsh]

goats milk is not dairy free

anyway, it can be made with soya milk. But it's grim anyway.

[TheRobberBride]

It's fab. It is a bit textured-I wouldn't say lumpy exactly. I know I'm not selling this but honestly it's delicious.

[LondonMother]

Now it's comments like 'it's absolutely rank' that give me pause. What on earth can be rank about a creamy, aromatic sauce? Is it the texture or the flavour or both? Do you find bechamel or white sauce rank as well? Serious question!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes]

Sorry, get in the habit of saying dairy free for Ddad as that's the easiest way in restaurants etc, its cows milk only that he has to avoid.

[NearTheWindmill]

1 smallish onion studded with about 6 cloves
1 bayleaf
6 peppercorns
blade of mace if you have it
cover with milk and bring to the boil
Allow to cool overnight

1 oz butter in a pan melted
Add dessert spoon plain flour
stir for about two minutes until there is a smooth paste
add the milk discarding the onion, etc
Stir until smooth and thickened
add two/three thick slices of blitzed good quality white bread (crusts off)
stir until it's a soft, unctious consistency
add salt and pepper to taste
A spoonful of cream if required.

It's soothing to make, delicious to eat, and goes well with the gameyness of the turkey and the tartness of the cranberries.

[SeaDevilscanPlay]

Minging horrid stuff.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes]

Bechamel is perfectly smooth and coats other foods beautifully, but I wouldn't serve it with a roast dinner - also although I do use clove and nutmeg in it, only a touch of them and I also use other flavours, eg cheese. Bread sauce is sort of semolina like, it does seem like baby food in texture and I personally don't think the flavours work with a roast dinner at all, similarly we don't have spiced red cabbage.

[LondonMother]

Interesting! Thanks, Whoknows. I think I'll risk it. I like cranberry sauce with roast turkey, so don't have an aversion to spices or fruits with meat.

[17leftfeet]

I'm fine with bechamel sauce, never had white sauce

It's texture is what puts me off -I've had my granny's cut it with a knife texture, my mums dolloping consistency, MIL runny and restaurant quality -all rank

You can't say I haven't tried!

[NearTheWindmill]

Mine doen't come out like that.

[cozietoesie]

Wonderful stuff - if properly made of course. Many things that you get in a restaurant or from a packet are indifferent so don't judge it adversely until you've tried the real thing.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheMistletoes]

I like cranberry sauce but don't use spices in it, just cranberries, orange and alcohol. I'm not generally keen on fruit with meat though.