Browsing through one of my mother-in-law’s cookbooks from the 1950s recently, The League of Mothers, I came across these instructions for making gravy. It’s good to see traditional techniques still work today! Here’s the recipe word-for-word:
Gravy to serve with roasts
- After removing meat from pan, strain off fat, leaving only a tablespoon of fat in bottom of dish, also keeping back any juices that have collected in the pan.
- Add a tablespoon of flour, mix with water into a thin paste, then add boiling water, if possible, the water the vegetables have been boiled in, as this contains the mineral salts from the vegetables, and also adds flavour to the gravy.
- Stir gravy until it boils, boil for five minutes. It is important to stir while gravy is coming to the boil, otherwise it will be lumpy and will not thicken properly.
- Strain if necessary and serve.
There is nothing like a tender roast and gravy, just like mum used to cook.