Tell Me Something............Anything!

[walpurgis]

And, I forgot. If the gravy flavour wants it, I add a drop of dark soy sauce. Sometimes thicken too, with arrowroot + water. Arrowroot gives a silkier texture than cornflour or wheat flour.

[struth]

And, I forgot. If the gravy flavour wants it, I add a drop of dark soy sauce. Sometimes thicken too, with arrowroot + water. Arrowroot gives a silkier texture than cornflour or wheat flour.

not tried that. must try it

[walpurgis]

not tried that. must try it

You don't need much. Mix with cold water before adding to whatever wants thickening, then bring heat back up stirring briskly. Like cornflour, it need to go near boiling for the starch to expand.

[struth]

You don't need much. Mix with cold water before adding to whatever wants thickening, then bring heat back up stirring briskly. Like cornflour, it need to go near boiling for the starch to expand.

ok, yes its quite strong so will be careful.. its gluten free too I believe.

[struth]

another point for lactose intolerant folk is most chees is low and some like Parmesan is free from lactose, as its converted to lactic acid or sommat like that.. I do like good parmesan

[Barry]

I prefer my roast chicken cold. dont like it overly seasoned with herbs tbh, although it makes a nice change. I do like it done with bacon tho. Love salmon with corriander and lemon done in tinfoil

Unfortunately I find the smell of roasting chicken makes me feel nauseous, so I only cook chicken as a casserole or in a masala sauce.

I also tend to like my food dry - I don't bother with gravy. The only accompaniment is usually some horseradish with beef, English mustard with gammon or with sausages, mint sauce with lamb and cranberry jelly with venison.

[Marco]

Unfortunately I find the smell of roasting chicken makes me feel nauseous, so I only cook chicken as a casserole or in a masala sauce.

That's interesting... Is it perhaps a bad memory left over from childhood? Was your mum a decent cook, or not? Perhaps she fucked up the roast chicken?

I also tend to like my food dry - I don't bother with gravy. The only accompaniment is usually some horseradish with beef, English mustard with gammon or with sausages, mint sauce with lamb and cranberry jelly with venison.

Yes, that seems to be a British trait - either that, or swimming in the bloody stuff, as is often the case when roast meats are served in most UK pubs and restaurants! Your preferring it dry is likely partly because proper gravy takes time to make (boiling bones and carcasses down, etc, in a pot), so it's easier just to have it dry.

The stock thing is crucial, which is why we only ever buy whole chickens, as the carcass, giblets, etc is then used to make stock (along with veg and herbs), which once done we freeze into ice cubes, which then act as home-made 'stock cubes' - only full of all the natural goodness of the bird. You'll find that this is how any proper cook or chef makes gravy, especially abroad.

If you eat roast chicken in any country in Europe, other than here, it'll be stuffed full of garlic and herbs and served with a light but very flavourful gravy, and taste wonderful as a result!

I'd be confident, Barry, that if you were served a proper gravy (in a gravy boat, so you could just pour a little on the side to taste), you'd love it and consider it as an enhancement to the accompanying meat (as effectively it's been made from part of it). We'll need to try it next time you're round, but not with roast chicken.

Do you like roast pork or lamb?

As for venison, there's nothing nicer than serving it with a lovely rich port wine and juniper berry sauce! Trust me, you'd love it. Sauces/jus are one of the things that the French do particularly well, as they know how to bring out the flavour of meats with beautifully judged sauces

Del's been making them since she was a kid, as from the age of six, she was in charge of the gravy for Sunday lunch!

Marco.

[Barry]

As I say I do like chicken but not roast chicken, though I will eat cold roast chicken with a salad. In general I don't really like fowl (and I've tried most varieties in my time) and I absolutely loath turkey. So at Christmas I have roast beef for Christmas dinner.

Thinking about it, I seem to be becoming more 'faddy' about food as I get older, though not as bad as I was as a child (then, I wouldn't eat fish (apart from smoked haddock), tomatoes (!) or cheese).

The odd thing is when travelling in 'parts foreign', I will try virtually anything. And having travelled widely I have sampled some strange, exotic and bizarre foodstuffs.

[Marco]

...yes, and probably roast chicken with gravy!

I've always been an adventurous eater (was never brought up to be faddy). Don't start me on that one, lol, as how some kids are turning out these days, in that respect, boils my piss ['little Johnny won't eat veg, only chips' - my arse!]...

Marco.

[Marco]

Oh, and you never said if you liked roast lamb or pork?

Marco.