Christmas Day gravy NOT NOT NOT Jamie Oliver

[MrsKingfisher]

Had to put not 3 times because someone will suggest his disgusting get ahead gravy!

Either own recipe or shop bought if it's NOT Jamie's, which one do you love?

I just make my usual gravy.

Roast meat on a trivet of onion / carrot.

Remove meat pour off fat.

sprinkle in some flour and cook it off. Add a bottle (yes, a whole bottle) or red wine for beef, cider for pork or white wine for poultry. Boil off alcohol. Add a stock pot whatever herbs you like, cook for a bit longer and add water if needed to desired consistency. Marmite works really well with red wine gravy and also a sprinkling of bisto if you want it thicker.

Sieve.

Season.

@MrsKingfisher thanks for the heads up! I actually had his gravy saved in my YouTube recipe videos 😱

[quote Mustbethewine]@MrsKingfisher thanks for the heads up! I actually had his gravy saved in my YouTube recipe videos 😱 [/quote]

Lots of people love it but we didn't enjoy it sadly. Took bloody forever too!

We tried Jamie gravy and didn’t like it, I love Schwartz roast turkey gravy sachet, add some thickener and pour in some juices from meat.

I saw Gordon Ramsey doing 1 last night which involved the bacon off the turkey and an onion fried together, add the bits of turkey no one eats (tips of wings, postman's/parson's nose? etc), a couple of tomatoes, a bottle of cider, juice of turkey, reduce, squash with potato masher to get the goodness out of everything, add chicken stock, reduce again, season if needed, sieve, serve.

I usually do mine with Bisto powder (not granules), mixed in a bowl with some wine/port and added to the roasting tin (after draining off the fat). I add the turkey juices back in, and thin it with plain boiling water or the water from steaming the carrots earlier if I kept that - if more liquid is needed, and a teaspoon of redcurrant jelly. That's about it. (Which is generally how I make gravy anyway - I'd often add a glug of wine - but without the redcurrant jelly normally).

I agree the jo one is not worth the effort. Just going to do something similar to helloxhristmas this year.

Bisto

Drain off the jus and fat. Put the roasting tin on the hob, sprinkle 2 rounded tabs plain flour and let it cook in the fat. Add 1.5 pts water with one oxo and one knorr chicken stock dissolved in it. Scrape using slice (now called a slotted turner seemingly) so all the bits are mixed in from the bottom of tin, boil so it thickens.
Add the flavoured water from the boiled giblets and, if you can manage to remove the oil, the jus from the roasting tin.
If it's thin use some cornflour stirred into a little water to make a runny paste, try a teaspoonful initially. Stir in, boil up to thicken.
The roasting tin does not heat evenly on the hob, just keep moving it around and also the gravy around with the slice.

I push the boat out and get the readymade onion gravy from Sainsbury's for Christmas Day, if it's available. Otherwise, Bisto or supermarket own brand vegetarian gravy granules.

@DrCoconut 😂😂😂😂😂

I really like JO's make ahead gravy, BUT if you use the star anise it is disgusting. I just make it without, and it tastes lovely

Don't shout at me but the JO is okay if you leave out the star anise. I have mine in the freezer already - you do need all the juices from the turkey plus the carrot water on the day to finish it off at the end.

I saw Gordon Ramsey doing 1 last night which involved the bacon off the turkey and an onion fried together, add the bits of turkey no one eats (tips of wings, postman's/parson's nose? etc), a couple of tomatoes, a bottle of cider, juice of turkey, reduce, squash with potato masher to get the goodness out of everything, add chicken stock, reduce again, season if needed, sieve, serve

I saw that a few years ago and thought ugh, no place for tomatoes in gravy.

Then I happened to be served it.

Now I'm convinced there's no place for tomatoes in gravy

Eurgh I just came on to say that I agree that the Jamie Oliver get ahead gravy is absolutely disgusting!!! I now just use bisto or fresh ready made gravy from a supermarket.

We don't like Jamie's get ahead gravy with star anise but it's lovely without.

@BiddyPop

I saw Gordon Ramsey doing 1 last night which involved the bacon off the turkey and an onion fried together, add the bits of turkey no one eats (tips of wings, postman's/parson's nose? etc), a couple of tomatoes, a bottle of cider, juice of turkey, reduce, squash with potato masher to get the goodness out of everything, add chicken stock, reduce again, season if needed, sieve, serve.

I usually do mine with Bisto powder (not granules), mixed in a bowl with some wine/port and added to the roasting tin (after draining off the fat). I add the turkey juices back in, and thin it with plain boiling water or the water from steaming the carrots earlier if I kept that - if more liquid is needed, and a teaspoon of redcurrant jelly. That's about it. (Which is generally how I make gravy anyway - I'd often add a glug of wine - but without the redcurrant jelly normally).

This is what I'm thinking of, using bistro powder and giving it some omph with port and redcurrant jelly.

I'm also going to buy a packet mix just in case I cock it all up! Interesting about leaving the star anise out of JO gravy.

I’ve made the Gordon one mentioned above and highly recommend it but I actually like faffing about like that on Christmas Day pretending to be busy, especially if my in laws are visiting.
If I was rushing I’d just drain off the turkey juices, remove the fat, and add bistro.

The first time I ever made JO get ahead gravy it was delicious. I left out the star anise, as I have done ever since. Each time I've made it it's been less good. I made it last year and it just tasted like grease. I doctored the absolute hell out of it with turkey juices, bisto, port, oxo and anything else I could find and the resulting concoction was absolutely delicious but I couldn't repeat it if I wanted to.

This year I am contemplating just making roast chicken next weekend and making gravy then and freezing it...

Interesting about leaving the star anise out of JO gravy My rule of thumb is to never put anything in a recipe if I don’t find the smell of it appealing as I’m cooking.

No one in my family is keen on turkey gravy, the flavour is too overpowering.

I make chicken stock with left over chicken carcasses and freeze it, then thicken with cornflour to make gravy. A bit unexciting but my ex would try something fancy every year and I would make the "plain" gravy, originally for the DC when they were babies, then for guests with specific dietary requirements. After about 15 years, he gave up as everybody preferred the simple gravy, even him.

oups I just buy the ready made M&S gravy.

This year I am contemplating just making roast chicken next weekend and making gravy then and freezing it...

Great minds think alike... @tentative3 [grin[

I upgrade my bisto to bisto best and add a dash of wine. One must push the boat out for Christmas.

Ahhhhhhhhh... Bisto.

Agree, the JO one is fabulous without the star anise (I've never tried it with, the first time I made it I thought no way am I putting that in).

Ha, we’ve also tried the JO and the Gordon Ramsey gravy.
Last year I used Asda’s best gravy granules with turkey juices added and NO ONE NOTICED.