[KnightsofNi]

So I am planning for Christmas day lunch. I don't normally cook it, but this year I am. I am not a cook and am really quite hopeless.

Obviously, one must have gravy with ones Christmas lunch. But should I make it from scratch? I don't have the foggiest notion of how to do that. Should I just buy one of the Gravox containers with ready made gravy that you just heat and pour out?

Oh, the difficulty that cooking brings!

[Cherish]

I make my gravy using the pan juices and a whisk and
Some plain flour to make a roux, then I add a teaspoon of vegemite and whisk that and the water
From the steamed or boiled veggies until its a gravy consistency.

[imamumto3]

I like gravy made from scratch. I use a Jamie Oliver recipe.

when roasting the meat, put carrots, celery, parsnip, onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme under it. when the meat is resting, drain most of the fat out of the pan and then mash up the veggies. over low heat, add a tablespoon of flour and stir it around. then add a glass of wine and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. then add a litre of stock and simmer for 10 minutes. strain the gravy through a sieve pushing it through the veggies. I then reheat the gravy for serving.

[adl]

As above but a tip from Maggie Beer - 20mins simmering to remove the floury taste , gentle heat .....has worked every time

[KnightsofNi]

That all seems so very complicated! How terrible is the ready made gravy do you think?

I tried to convince DH that we should just have a BBQ and salads (I can make salads!!). I can make a mediocre roast, but I fail with all the 'trimmings'.

[her mum]

Do not buy the pre-made liquid sauce in a sachet - they taste really awful.

I would suggest if you do try to make the gravy from scratch that you have a back up. I try often and rarely get it right, and it's far less stressful if you have another option.

As a back up, I recommend the tins of instant gravy where you just need to add boiling water and whisk. Either 'roast meat' or 'chicken' would be lovely with a turkey!

[KnightsofNi]

Can I premake it from scratch and then freeze it to defrost for Christmas Day? It would give me more room for error.

[*LucyE*]

The current issue of Delicious magazine has a Jamie Oliver recipe where you premake the gravy and freeze until needed. It takes the stress from the day when all you have to do is reheat the very tasty gravy.

[Lucretia Borgia]

The current issue of Delicious magazine has a Jamie Oliver recipe where you premake the gravy and freeze until needed. It takes the stress from the day when all you have to do is reheat the very tasty gravy.

Ooh thanks for this! To be able to reheat pre- homemade gravy on the day would be great! I imagine you could then also add the pan juices from the roast for some extra oomph ...I'm not a fan of instant gravy mixes personally, I think they can taste a bit......chemical....?

[Shanski]

If you do want a really nice tasting instant gravy try Greens Gravy Granules (either roast meat or roast chicken)
You can get it at Woolies and its is a really nice tasting instant gravy - just mix with boiling water and its ready to serve.

Otherwise my recipe for gravy from scratch is to
- take the pan drippings and add stock powder (chicken stock powder for chicken, pork or lamb and beef stock powder for beef)
- then add plain flour (no exact measurement as we LOVE gravy so I always make a huge amount)
- mix this together to form a paste, making sure to scrape all the sticky brown bits off the pan
- slowly add water to thin it out then transfer to saucepan and continue stirring until boiling and thick (keep adding water if it gets too thick)