The encyclopaedia of gravy
British roast gravy is a flour-thickened pan gravy served in quantity with a roast dinner — a tradition shaped by the domestic roasting tin, the Yorkshire pudding and Victorian thrift.
The British roast dinner is unusual among European meat traditions in that the sauce is thickened, abundant and poured over the entire plate rather than spooned beside the meat.
What defines it¶
- A flour-thickened gravy, not a reduction. See making a roux.
- Made in the roasting tin from the joint's own juices. See pan gravy.
- Served in a jug, in quantity, for people to pour themselves.
- Poured over everything — meat, potatoes, vegetables, stuffing and pudding alike.
Contrast this with a French roast, where a thin jus is spooned around the meat, or a Scandinavian plate, where the sauce is creamier and confined to one part of the plate.
Why thickened, and why so much¶
Three practical reasons, all historical.
The Yorkshire pudding. Originally served first, with gravy, to fill people up before the expensive meat arrived. A thin sauce would not have done the job. See yorkshire pudding gravy.
Thrift. Extending a small amount of meat flavour across a large plate of vegetables and potatoes was the point. Gravy made a modest joint feed a family.
The domestic roasting tin. British homes had ovens with roasting tins earlier and more widely than much of Europe, and a tin full of juices practically demands to be turned into gravy. See history of the roast dinner.
Regional variation within Britain¶
| Region | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| The north of England | Gravy also served with chips and pies; thinner in that context. See chip-shop gravy |
| Yorkshire | Pudding-first tradition; giant filled Yorkshire puddings |
| Scotland | Chips, cheese and gravy widespread; "gravy" sometimes means a thinner sauce |
| The Midlands | Gravy with faggots and peas, a regional institution |
| Ireland | Similar roast tradition; gravy often lighter, with more stock |
| Southern England | Chips-and-gravy is uncommon; the roast gravy tradition is identical |
The commercial layer¶
From 1908, Bisto and its competitors meant that a British household could have dark, thick gravy without a roast, and "gravy" began to mean the flavour and colour as much as the method. Many British cooks today make both kinds without thinking of them as different things. See instant gravy granules.
See also¶
- history of the roast dinner · beef gravy · bisto · northern chip-shop gravy tradition
- BIR base gravy — the other great British gravy tradition