It’s easy to find gravy mixes that are vegan (even the beef-flavoured ones don’t often have any meat in them!). However, they do have a lot of unnecessary additives and often contain palm oil. Make your own instead.

Ingredients

• 150ml red wine
• 2 tsps vegan stock powder
• 500ml water
• 1 tsp each of garlic and onion powder
• 2 tsps mixed herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp Natex or Marmite
• 2 tbsps arrowroot or other thickener (cornflour, tapioca starch etc)
• 1 tsp brown (muscovado) sugar
• Pepper to taste
• Optional flavourings: balsamic vinegar, mustard, horseradish, redcurrant jelly or any dark fruit jam

Method

1. Boil the red wine till it loses some of its rawness.
2. Turn down to a simmer.
3. Add stock powder and water.
4. Add the herbs, soy sauce, sugar, Natex and garlic/onion powder.
5. Slake two tablespoons of arrowroot with a little water and stir into the gravy. Stir till it thickens. If it’s too runny, mix a little more thickener.
6. Now taste and decide what you need. Jelly or jam for more sweetness and a glossy finish, balsamic for a touch of acidity. If you need it saltier, don’t add pure salt – go for more stock powder, soy sauce or Natex instead to give depth.
7. Make a big batch and freeze it in portions.

By Rebecca