Jamie's gravy

[fluffytail]

I've just made this for the first time today and it's a bit meh. Not really got the depth of flavour I was looking for. Anyone else found this and did you manage to fix it? Or do I need to be patient and adding the turkey juices will somehow make it taste of something?

Nope I made it last year and it was an absolute fuckabout for NO gain. I’ve had nicer gravy using juices from the pan, flour, stock and a slosh of sherry. Complete waste of effort!

I gagged around with it for ages a few years ago and never again!

We make it every year but only as a base (we add turkey juices to it) and always leave out the star anise as it overpowers it.

Gravy is easy......

Trivet under the meat which is a handful carrots, onion and celery chopped very roughly.

Add a cup of white wine for white meat or red for red meat.

Salt and pepper the meat and seal with foil.

Into the oven.
Cook as instructions.

When meat is cooked, set aside.

Then mash the veg into the liquid and add a bit more water if it's dried out. The aim is to get all the flavour into that liquid.

Strain and keep the liquid, discard the mashed veg.

Then make up a good brand of instant gravy slightly thicker and add the liquid above.

You get all the flavour and none of the mess. It's a winner every time.

Faffed not gagged...

Exactly what I do.

So i've just read the attached recipe and thought, thats what i will do this week and ive just read all of your comments about how crap it is!!

I make it every year (and coincidentally made mine yesterday) - it improves greatly with turkey juices and cranberry sauce on the day! There’s no way I’d have space in the turkey pan to make a trivet with enough veg to roast for gravy. I love ‘getting ahead’ so it’s all ready to just take out of the freezer to defrost on Christmas Eve. @ihatethecoldgive it a go!

I make a variation on Jamie’s gravy every year. I save “chicken jelly” from a previous roast chicken which I stick in the freezer until ready. I roast the broken chicken wings over the veg. I add chicken stock not water and chicken jelly then cook on the hob for ages mashing everything up, then strain through a sieve and thicken with Bisto original gravy powder not instant granules.

I leave out the disgusting star anise and bacon as I can’t taste that and add cranberry (which is home made).

I do it every year, you are right that it doesn't taste great on its own but tye juices do transform it. I leave out the star anise too. I make gravy the traditional way the rest of the year but on Christmas Day I like the ease of this. It has become part of my Christmas routine, it smells gorgeous when it's being made and we usually do some extra chicken wings in the same tray to eat that evening.

Rather than discarding the mashed vegetables, I would have repurposed them. I’ve incorporated mashed vegetables into meatballs, potato cakes, and soups that are later blended for added smoothness.

Dh made that for several years. The star anise gives it a weird flavour

Everyone thinks i’m mental when I make this gravy 🙈 All of the faff etc…

First time I did find it disappointing, so instead of just using boiling water (As per the recipe) I use a decent chicken stock and I also use a spoonful of turkey gravy granules, along with a splash of white wine, and then let it all simmer.

I also use chicken thighs instead of wings, for more “juice” And I omit the star anise too.

It’s lovely, but is it worth the faff? Probably not.

The first year I made it, it was delicious. Since then it has disappointed every time. So now I do a whole chicken in the slow cooker with some veg and save some of the juices.

Making a reduced stock ahead of time, that's useful. But I think Jamie's method goes too far too early. You really can't beat a good, homemade stock reduced to a thick jelly for adding a bit of oomph to homemade gravy. But I wouldn't be adding thickeners or the fancy flavourings ahead of time. Just make a good, thick stock.

Having made one of JO’s gravies one Christmas,I can honestly say that it was probably the worst one I ever tasted. Had to throw it- horribly greasy and it took bloody ages! Followed it to the letter. Also cooked a goose following his method- vile
Never had any luck with his recipes though- Delia however… lots of great results
Thank you @Flangeosaurus; slosh of sherry on my list this year

I made scratch gravy once, it didn't taste any better than granules with the meat juices added! We are having bisto best as usual

@VillageFete I can't help feeling that what you've ended up with is no longer Jamie's gravy but your own. And all the better for it! 😋

It's underwhelming. Won't bother again.

OP I tried his recipe once, it was awful, no idea what the star anise is in there for.
Just making old fashioned gravy with the meat juices, water from boiling the veg, and some gravy browning tastes much better (especially with a drop of alcohol). But nowadays I buy a tub from Waitrose if I remember.

I think you’re correct 🤣 I followed the recipe to the letter at first and was rather disappointed! A few tweaks and it was much better.

Just tried this for the first time and wish I'd read this first! I did see it in time to fish out one of the star anise luckily. I rescued mine with a knorr chicken stock pot and some red wine but it took a lot of stirring and tasting to get it to a good flavour. I've also put the cranberry in now instead of waiting till Christmas. Even more annoyingly it only made about a litre of gravy after reducing which is not enough. I'm going to roast a chicken for sandwiches and leftovers later in the week and make proper gravy with that to add to it. I think there are not enough meat juices from the chicken wings.

Jamie’s gravy is a 2 step process.

1. The get ahead bit is the base that you can prep ahead of time.
2. The finish with the juices, port/sherry and cranberry sauce.

It’s not a finished recipe if you serve it without doing step 2.

I used to make it ahead, but I’ve changed it over the years and tend to just make it all on the day (we use the basic recipe minus the chicken legs every Sunday for our roast).

Also agree with PPs about swapping water for stock.

I made Jamie's gravy once. Never again. It was awful.

I make it like @NotbloodyGivingupYet . Using the juices of the roast, cook with flour, then adding water from the veg and then a stock cube. A splash of red wine if feeling fancy. (and gravy browning). Delicious.

I do like the concept of it, but I agree his recipe is crap and tastes very bland.

I roast some chicken on the bone (drumsticks or wings) on a bed of onions carrot and celery, add some rashers of smoked bacon and sprigs of fresh thyme. Then remove the chicken/bacon once cooked and stick the roasting pan on the hob - cook out some flour, add a good glug of port, simmer for a minute then I add chicken stock and mush up all the veg. Once it's simmered for 20 mins I strain it and freeze. When I cook the Turkey on Christmas Day I add the juices and a bit of cornflour if required.