It's the Christmas staple that everyone can master. Gordon Ramsay shows us how to knock up a genuinely classic British sauce which goes perfectly with chicken or turkey
It's best to use stale bread to make the breadcrumbs. At least a 2 day old loaf with the crusts removed is perfect.
The staler the bread and the finer the breadcrumbs, the smoother the sauce.
Roughly chop the bread and transfer it to a food processor. Blend it until you get a fine, even breadcrumb texture.
Cloves and bay leaves are the traditional flavours. Use the cloves to stud the bay leaf into the onion, securing them at the top and bottom. This makes it easier to strain the milk later. Piercing the onion also helps to release the flavours.
Place the studded onion in milk, season, and bring it gently up to the boil.
Remove the milk from the heat and strain through a sieve.
Pour back into the pan over a gentle heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs half at a time.
Stir to allow the crumbs to absorb the milk evenly.
Whisk in a little olive oil. The olive oil enriches the flavour and gives the sauce a really nice shine.
Finish the sauce with butter to give a silky, creamy texture. Whisk it through thoroughly.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Allow to heat through and thicken until ready to serve. The breadcrumbs should have swollen to absorb all the milk.
