James Martin just revealed the secret to the perfect gravy - he says 'buy it now' before Christmas
James shared his ultimate festive gravy tips on This Morning
With Christmas around the corner and Sunday roast season in full swing, James Martin just shared the ultimate nugget of culinary knowledge - the secret to the perfect gravy.
As the TV chef appeared on This Morning alongside Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, he had those of us on Christmas feast cooking duty taking notes as he divulged his steps to achieving a seriously rich and delicious gravy.
Describing his method as the 'classic, classic' way, James explained that no thickening agents like cornflour are needed in his recipe - and he urged viewers to 'go out now' and buy one key ingredient to make gravy the way chefs do.
A post shared by This Morning (@thismorning)
A photo posted by on
When asked by Cat what his 'go-to Christmas gravy recipe' is, James began by saying, "In the supermarkets now you've got the pre-made stocks. Go out now and buy it.
"The minute you hit the week before Christmas, you've got no chance. Veal stock or chicken stock is what you want. You can't really make it out of turkey stock."
Sharing that chefs in restaurants use this method and that 'very few' make their own stocks anymore, he continued, "Red wine in a pan. Half a bottle for instance, for Christmas for ten people.
Shop Gravy Essentials On Sale
"Then you put about a litre and a half of this stock in there. So, a decent amount. Then you put a good knob of butter in - about a third of a block," James added.
Sign up to our free daily email for the latest royal and entertainment news, interesting opinion, expert advice on styling and beauty trends, and no-nonsense guides to the health and wellness questions you want answered.
"Then you reduce it down. The butter will sit on top. When the sauce is ready, it all emulsifies into a gravy, into a classic chef's style jus. That's by reducing it down."
James makes his gravy in advance and then freezes it in portions ready to go. "Then you put it into ice cube trays, freeze it, then take two ice cubes for one person and just warm it up in a pan. It's done."

Caitlin is News Editor for woman&home, covering all things royal, celeb, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Caitlin started on local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree. She also worked in Fashion PR as a Press Assistant for Arcadia's Topshop before becoming a part of the Now team. Caitlin went on to add the likes of Woman, GoodtoKnow, WhatToWatch and woman&home to her writing repertoire before moving on to her current role.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.