Homemade brown sauce

Method

1. Put a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat, add the oil, then add the onion with a good pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Meanwhile, toast the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, allspice and star anise in a hot dry pan for 30-40 seconds until fragrant, then transfer to a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
3. Add the ginger-garlic paste to the onion and stir for a minute, then add the spice powder along with the ground mace and bay leaf. Stir for a further minute before adding the apples, tomatoes, dates and apricots. Cook for 5 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients and stir well, then simmer for 40-45 minutes until the mixture has thickened but is still loose enough to blend (give it a regular stir to ensure it doesn’t catch).
4. Leave to cool a little, then blend until very smooth – leave the blender running for 5 minutes. Taste and check the seasoning – it shouldn’t need much more salt as the soy and Worcestershire sauce will have reduced down to give a more concentrated salty flavour. Store in sterilised jars or bottles (see FAQ).