The best homemade turkey gravy

Before you start

Why it’s the best turkey gravy
Take stock: A good stock is key to any gravy – but the last thing you want to be doing on Christmas Day is waiting for a huge pan of liquid to gently infuse. If you’ve got your turkey to hand, now’s the time to make the most of the giblets and neck that they usually come with, but if you’d prefer to sort it pre-arrival of the bird, chicken wings are a great alternative (just throw the neck and giblets in the base of the tin with the turkey as it roasts). By roasting the giblets/wings, you get a deliciously deep and flavourful stock when it comes to the infusion.

Use it up: In the run-up to Christmas, start saving any vegetable peelings and trimmings in a bag in the freezer. These little scraps are like gold dust for your stock, adding both depth and colour to the liquid. You can throw nearly anything in there – onion peel, carrot tops, those few final bits of limp celery in the salad drawer – but avoid potato peelings (as they’re too starchy) and any particularly flavourful brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli).

Sherry bomb: It’s Christmas, after all, so it’s worth splashing out on a bottle of (dry) sherry. What doesn’t end up in the gravy will certainly be consumed before the New Year, and it works wonders in gravies – the more pronounced flavour adds sweetness and a crisp acidity that cuts through the rich stock.

Umami boost: Two very tasty ingredients – miso and Worcestershire – work overtime in the background in this gravy, adding depth, umami and savoury saltiness without actually altering the overall flavour. Rather than making the gravy taste like miso or Worcestershire sauce, they subtly bring out the flavours of the stock, amping them up to 11 and turning this gravy into the best you’ve ever had.

Make ahead: At the end of step 3, you can chill the stock for up to 3 days in a container or freeze for a month (defrost before the next step).