Celebrity chef James Martin has shared a simple three-ingredient gravy recipe that can be prepared well in advance of Christmas Day, saving cooks valuable time and energy. Appearing on This Morning, Martin advised home cooks to buy ready-made stock immediately, as these products often sell out in the run-up to Christmas.
Martin recommends using veal or chicken stock, explaining that turkey stock does not produce the same flavour. For a party of ten, he suggests using half a bottle of red wine and about 1.5 litres of stock. The chef emphasises that the wine does not need to be expensive.
The method involves pouring the red wine into a saucepan, adding the stock, and then a generous knob of butter—roughly a third of a block. The mixture is gently reduced on the stovetop. Martin notes that the butter will initially sit on top, but as the sauce reduces, it emulsifies into a classic chef-style jus or gravy, eliminating the need for cornflour or other thickeners.
Once the gravy has cooled, Martin suggests portioning it into ice cube trays for freezing. On Christmas Day, simply heat two ice cubes worth of gravy per person in a pan. This make-ahead approach allows cooks to focus on other dishes without the last-minute fuss of preparing gravy.
