JUICES from a joint of beef and the left-over water from boiled cabbage make the perfect gravy, scientists said today.
Research by the Royal Society of Chemistry has come up with the ideal recipe for traditional British gravy. And it is not too far from that of famed Victorian food writer Mrs Beeton, whose book of Cookery and Household Management was first published in 1859.
The only difference is that chemists at the society believe a teaspoon of dark soya sauce should be added to the more common ingredients of meat juices, flour, iodised salt, pepper and vegetable water.
The joint, preferably beef, should be cooked on a bed of halved onions, carrots and celery.
When the meat is cooked, it should be removed from the roasting tin along with the vegetables and a small amount of plain flour should be sprinkled over the meat juices and fat. The society says a good gravy has a lot of nutrients.
