Classic Bread Sauce

I love bread sauce but if I hadn’t been reared on it I might never have tried it — the recipe sounds so dull! Serve it with roast chicken, turkey and guinea fowl.

Serves 6

600ml (1 pint) whole milk

85-100g (3-4oz) soft white breadcrumbs

(use 6oz of gluten-free bread crumbs and increase seasoning)

2 medium onions, each stuck with 6 cloves

35-55g (1½-2oz) butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

75-100ml (3-4 fl ozs) thick cream

2 good pinches of ground cloves or quatre epices

Put all the ingredients except the cream in a small, deep saucepan and bring to the boil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and simmer gently on a very low heat (use a heat diffuser mat if possible) or cook in a low oven at 160C/325F/regulo 3 for 30 minutes. Remove the onion and add the cream just before serving.

Correct the seasoning and add a little more milk if the sauce is too thick. Serve hot.

Note: The bread sauce will keep in the fridge for several days. The remainder can be reheated gently but you may need to use a little more milk.

Quatre epices is a French spice product made of equal amounts of ground white pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.