First of all, using a very sharp, pointed knife, score the skin in a criss-cross pattern making little ½ inch (1 cm) diamonds.

This is quite easy to do if you insert the tip of the knife only, then holding the skin taut with one hand, drag the tip of the knife down in long movements.

To cook the gammon: warm the molasses or black treacle slightly (if it's very cold), then use a pastry brush to coat all the little diamonds of skin lightly. After that sprinkle the skin with salt crystals, pressing them well in.

Now place the gammon in a roasting tin, skin-side upright (if it won't stand up straight, use a couple of wedges of foil to keep it in position).

Place the roasting tin in the oven, and after 25 minutes turn the heat down to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C). Then continue to let the gammon cook for 1¾-2 hours – it should feel tender all the way through when tested with a skewer.

After it comes out of the oven, give it at least 30 minutes' resting time, covered with foil, in a warm place. Serve with the Cumberland Sauce (see related recipe below).

Note: If you have a larger or smaller piece of bacon (or gammon), calculate 25 minutes per lb (450 g) total cooking time.

First place the roasting tray with the fat in it on the highest shelf of the oven while it pre-heats.

Thinly peel the potatoes using a potato peeler, then leave the small ones whole and cut the larger ones in half. Put them in a steamer fitted over a large pan of boiling water, sprinkle the salt all over them, put a lid on, turn the heat down to low and steam the potatoes for about 10 minutes. After that lift one out with a skewer and see if the outer edge is fluffy.

You can test this by running the point of the skewer along the surface – if it stays smooth, give it a few more minutes.

Then drain off the water (reserving some for the gravy if you like).

Place the lid back on the saucepan, and, holding the lid on firmly with your hand protected by a cloth or oven glove, shake the saucepan vigorously from side to side then turn the pan upside down and give it another shake.

This shaking roughens up the cooked edges of the potato and makes them floury and fluffy – this is the secret of the crunchy edges.

Now, still using the oven glove to protect your hands, remove the hot roasting tray containing its sizzling fat and transfer to the direct heat (medium) on the hob. Then use a long-handled spoon and quickly lower the potatoes into the hot fat.

When they are all in, turn each one over a couple of times so it's completely coated with fat.

Now place them back on the highest shelf of the oven and leave them unattended for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are golden brown.

There's no need to turn them over at half-time – they will brown evenly by themselves.

Sprinkle them with a little crushed salt before serving straight away; they lose their crunch if you keep them waiting. If they're ready before you are, turn the oven off and leave them inside.
 

First of all crush the saffron to a powder with a pestle and mortar.

Then place the potatoes in a saucepan with sufficient boiling water to almost cover them, add a level dessertspoon of salt and half the saffron powder, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 6 minutes. Use a timer, as it's important not to overcook them at this stage.

When the time is up, lift a potato out using the skewer to see if the outer edge is fluffy. You can test this by running the point of a skewer along the surface – if it stays smooth, give them 2 or 3 more minutes. Then drain off the water, place the lid back on the pan and, holding the lid firmly and protecting your hand with a cloth, shake the saucepan vigorously. This is to create a fluffy surface so the finished potatoes will be really crunchy.

Now mix the oil with the rest of the saffron powder, then remove the tray from the oven and place it over a direct medium heat.

Next, using a long-handled spoon, carefully but quickly lift the potatoes into the hot fat, tilt the tray and baste them well, then, using a small brush, quickly paint the potatoes with the saffron oil, making sure they are well coated. Now return the tray to the highest shelf of the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the potatoes are golden and crunchy.

Sprinkle with a little salt before serving with meat or fish or with my Marinated Chicken with Honey and Ginger recipe.

You need to begin this recipe half an hour before you want to start the cooking, because the aubergines need to be salted and drained as they sometimes contain bitter juices. All you do is cut the aubergines lengthways into four and then into 1 inch (2.5 cm) chunks and place them in a colander, sprinkling them with salt as you pack them in, then place a plate on top of the aubergines and weight it down with something heavy (scale weights or tins of food).

Now take a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over a high heat, then as soon as it's smoking hot, brown the lamb slices two at a time for about 1 minute on each side. As they brown, transfer them to the roasting tin. Then chop the garlic and oregano quite small. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and scatter the garlic and oregano all over them, pressing it well into the crevices of the meat. Then pop the roasting tin on to the middle shelf of the oven and give them 45 minutes' initial cooking.

Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes: place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them from the kettle, leave them for 1 minute exactly, then drain off the water and slip the skins off. Then slice the tomatoes into ½ inch (1 cm) chunks. Now peel, halve and thinly slice the onions, then heat another tablespoon of oil in the frying pan over a medium heat and, when it's hot, lightly brown the onions, moving them around the pan and giving them about 5 minutes or so.

After that, add the tomatoes and the tomato purée, stir well, giving them about 1 minute before turning the heat off. Now dry the aubergines, either in a clean tea cloth, or in batches using kitchen paper. After that, remove the meat from the oven and transfer to a plate. Tilt the roasting tin, spoon off any excess fat, then put in half the aubergines, onion and tomatoes, mix them well with the juices in the tin and season.

Then replace the meat and scatter the rest of the aubergines and tomato mixture on top. Add a little more seasoning of salt and pepper and return the roasting tin to the oven, without covering, for about 1½ hours or until the lamb is completely tender. Have a peep halfway through the cooking time and if the vegetables on top look a little dry, baste them with some of the juices.

To make the rice pilau, in a shallow saucepan or frying pan with a lid, sweat the onion in the oil over a medium heat, then add the pine nuts, currants and white basmati rice and stir everything well. Add the cinnamon stick, then pour in 1 pint (570 ml) boiling water and add the salt, stir once, put a lid on, then let it cook for 15 minutes.Sprinkle with a little chopped flat-leaf parsley before serving.

Take the casserole, melt ½ oz (10 g) of the butter in it and when it begins to foam turn the heat up high.

Dry the meat thoroughly with kitchen paper and then brown it on all sides in the hot butter, browning one flat side first, then turning it over on the other side and moving it around to get the round edges browned as well.

Then remove the meat, wipe the casserole with some kitchen paper and return the meat to it, adding the herbs, the wine and some salt and pepper. Bring it all up to simmering point, put on a tight-fitting lid, using foil if necessary, then transfer it to the oven and leave it to cook without looking at it for 3 hours.

While the beef is cooking, make the red onion marmalade: melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan, stir in the chopped onions and the thyme and let them soften for about 10 minutes. Then add the wine and wine vinegar, bring it all up to a gentle simmer and add a seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and let the whole thing cook really slowly with the lid off for about 50 minutes to 1 hour or until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove it from the heat, but re-heat gently before serving.

When the pot roast's cooking time is up, remove the meat from the casserole, cover it with foil and leave it to relax for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the herbs, place the casserole over direct heat and boil briskly to reduce the liquid slightly. Mix the flour and remaining butter to a smooth paste, then add this mixture in small pieces to the hot liquid and whisk with a small whisk until it comes back to the boil and you have a smooth, slightly thickened sauce.

First of all, crush the garlic and sea salt together to a purée, using a pestle and mortar, then add the oil, chopped rosemary and a good seasoning of pepper and mix well. Next, spread a large sheet of foil over the roasting tin, place the lamb on it and stab the fleshy parts of the joint several times with a skewer.

Now spread the rosemary mixture all over the upper surface of the lamb and tuck in a sprig of rosemary (as this makes a nice garnish later).

Then bring the edges of the foil up over the lamb, make a pleat in the top and scrunch in the ends. This foil parcel should be fairly loose to allow the air to circulate.

Bake the lamb for 2 hours, then open out the foil, baste the joint well with the juices and return it to the oven for a further 30 minutes to brown. 

The above cooking time should result in lamb very slightly pink: you can cook it for more or less time, as you prefer.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the redcurrant jelly and vinegar in a small saucepan and whisking over a gentle heat, till the jelly melts into the vinegar (a balloon whisk does this perfectly).

Then add the chopped mint and some seasoning and pour into a jug – the sauce doesn't need to be warm.

When the lamb is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving. 

Discard the foil, spoon off the fat and make some gravy with the juices left in the tin: add the white wine, stir and let it bubble until it has become syrupy. 

Season with salt and pepper if it needs it and pour into a warmed serving jug.

Place the pieces of pork in a shallow dish and season them with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

Now pour 3 tablespoons of the oil over the meat, followed by the juice of the lemon and 2 tablespoons of the white wine (or cider). Then sprinkle in the crushed coriander seeds and the garlic, and mix everything together. Cover the dish with a cloth and leave it all to marinate overnight – or as long as possible – stirring now and then.

To cook the pork, melt the remaining tablespoon of oil in the frying pan and, when it’s fairly hot, add the cubes of pork and cook them over a medium heat, turning them and keeping them on the move. When they have browned a little, pour in the rest of the white wine (or cider), let it bubble and reduce to a syrupy consistency. 

The pork will take approximately 10-15 minutes to cook altogether. 

Serve with rice and a salad.

First of all, dry the chicken as much as possible with kitchen paper and season it well.

Next, melt the butter and oil in the casserole, then, keeping the heat fairly high, brown the chicken carefully on all sides. This will seem a bit awkward, but all you do is protect your hands with a cloth and hold the chicken by its legs, turning it into different positions until it is a good golden colour all over; this will take 10-15 minutes in all.

After that, remove the chicken from the casserole, add the cloves of garlic and rosemary sprigs, toss these around, then replace the chicken and sprinkle the chopped rosemary all over. Next, pour the wine all around it and let it gently come up to simmering point.

Meanwhile, place the flour in a bowl and add 5 fl oz (150 ml) cold water – it should be enough to make a soft but not sticky dough – then divide the dough into 4 and roll each piece into a cylinder about 9 inches (23 cm) long on a lightly floured surface.

Now position these all around the rim of the casserole – it doesn’t matter what they look like. Place the casserole lid carefully on top, pressing down gently and making sure there are no gaps. Alternatively, simply place a double sheet of foil over the casserole before putting the lid on.

Now place the casserole in the oven and cook for 1¼ hours, then remove the lid and let the chicken continue to cook for another 10 minutes, to re-crisp the skin. Next remove the chicken from the casserole and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Serve the carved chicken with the garlic cloves alongside and the cooking juices poured around it.

The idea is to squash the garlic cloves with a knife to release all the creamy pulp and, as you eat, dip the pieces of chicken into it.

Begin by making about 24 small, deep cuts in the skin of the lamb using a small, sharp knife.

Then push a sliver of garlic, followed by a small sprig of rosemary, into each cut, and season the meat generously with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

Next, cut the onion in half and place it in the bottom of the roasting tin, then transfer the lamb to the tin to sit on top of the onion halves.

Cover the tin loosely with foil, then cook in the oven on a high shelf for 1½ hours. After this, take the foil off and let it cook for another 30 minutes.

Remove the lamb from the oven, cover loosely with foil again and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Rosemary and Onion Sauce.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and cook the onions over a very gentle heat for about 5 minutes – it's important not to let them colour, so keep an eye on them.

While that's happening, bruise the rosemary leaves with a pestle and mortar to release their oil, then chop them very, very finely and add them to the onion.

Then continue to cook as gently as possible for a further 15 minutes, again, without letting the onions colour too much.

Next, using a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the onions and their buttery juices till smooth, then gradually add the milk, a little at a time, still stirring, followed by the stock, bit by bit, whilst vigorously whisking with a balloon whisk.

Now taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper and let it barely simmer on the lowest possible heat for 5 minutes.

Next, remove it from the heat, then liquidise or process half of it, then return it to the saucepan to join the other half.

Then re-heat gently, add the crème fraîche and pour it into a warmed serving jug.

This recipe makes about 1 pint (570 ml) sauce.

Begin by cutting the carrots into 1½ inch (4 cm) chunks, but no smaller.

Next, dry roast the coriander seeds and peppercorns in a small frying pan or saucepan over a medium heat, stirring and tossing them around for 1-2 minutes, or until they begin to look toasted and start to jump in the pan.

Now empty them into a pestle and mortar and crush them coarsely, then put the carrot chunks and crushed spices in a bowl.

Next, put the garlic cloves and salt in the mortar, crush to a purée, then whisk in the oil. Now toss this mixture around with the carrots and spices, then spread it out on the baking tray.

Pop it into the oven on a high shelf and roast until the carrots are tender when tested with a skewer – 30-40 minutes.

Begin by measuring the oil into the roasting tin, then pop it into the oven to heat through.

Wash the potatoes but don't scrape the skins off, then cut them into cubes of roughly ½ inch (1 cm).

Place them in a clean tea cloth and dry them as thoroughly as you can, then transfer them to a large plate. Remove the tin from the oven, place it over direct heat – the oil needs to be very hot – then carefully slide the potatoes straight into the hot oil.

Turn them around to get a good coating of oil, sprinkling in the garlic and rosemary as you go.

Return the tin to the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown and crisp.

Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Start off by cutting one of the pork fillets almost in half lengthways (using a sharp knife) and open the 2 halves out.

Now do the same with the other fillet.

Next, use a rolling pin to bash the fillets all the way down to flatten them a bit, they need to be about 5-6 inches (13-15 cm) wide, then season them with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

Now prepare the stuffing. Heat 1 oz (25 g) of the butter in a small saucepan, then gently fry the chopped onion for 10 minutes until softened, and add it (and its juices) to the bowl containing the remaining stuffing ingredients: the breadcrumbs, walnuts, apple, lemon zest and juice, egg and sage.

Now mix everything lightly together, taste and season, then pile half of the stuffing along the length of one half of the split fillets. Fold the other half of the fillet over the top, then tie with string to keep it in shape.

Then do the same with the other fillet and the rest of the stuffing. Next, rub each fillet with 1 oz (25 g) of butter, place them in the roasting tin and bake for about 40-50 minutes, basting now and then.

When the fillets are cooked, remove them to a warmed serving dish and now make the sauce. Place the roasting tin over direct heat and stir in the flour. Mix, then allow this to brown for a couple of minutes before gradually adding in the cider and stock. Let it bubble for a bit and reduce for 3-4 minutes, then season and strain the sauce and serve immediately with the meat, cut into slices.

First of all, using a small, sharp knife, make little slits all over the pork and push the slivers of garlic into them, turning the fillet over so the garlic is in on both sides.

Next, place the rosemary leaves in a mortar and bruise them with a pestle to release their fragrant oil, then chop them very finely. Now melt the butter and combine it with the cider vinegar, then brush the meat with some of this mixture, sprinkle with half the rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the onion over the buttered baking tray and place the pork on top. All this can be prepared in advance, then covered with clingfilm.

When you want to cook the roast, prepare the apples by tossing them with the remaining cider vinegar and butter mixture, then arrange them all around the pork on the baking tray and sprinkle with the sugar and the rest of the rosemary.

Place the baking tray in the oven on a high shelf and roast for 25-30 minutes (this will depend on the thickness of the pork), until the pork is cooked and there are no pink juices. After that, remove the baking tray from the oven and transfer the pork and apples to a hot serving dish, cover with foil and keep warm. Meanwhile, pour a little of the cider on to the tray, over the heat, to loosen the onions and juices from it, then pour into a saucepan over a medium heat, add the rest of the cider and let it bubble and reduce by about a third – this will take about 5 minutes.

Then whisk in the crème fraîche, let it bubble a bit more and add some seasoning. After the pork has rested for about 10 minutes, transfer it to a board and carve it into thick slices, then return them to the serving plate to rejoin the apples. Pour the sauce over and serve as soon as possible. Roast potatoes are particularly good with this.

The first thing you need to do when you get the turkey home is to remove the giblets, rinse them under a cold running tap, place them in a saucepan with 1½ pints (850 ml) water and the rest of the stock ingredients and bring them up to simmering point.

Remove the scum from the surface, then let the whole thing simmer gently, half covered, for 1½-2 hours. Then strain the stock and, when it's cool, store it in a refrigerator until needed. Before embarking on cooking a turkey, it's essential that you read my notes (see link at the end of the recipe). First of all, make the stuffing: to do this, you need to melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and lightly fry the onion, celery and chunks of sausagemeat until they are lightly browned and golden at the edges. This will take about 8-10 minutes.

After that, tip them into a large bowl and add all the other stuffing ingredients, mixing these together well and adding a good seasoning of salt and freshly milled black pepper.

To stuff the turkey, loosen the skin at the neck end, gently pushing it away from the breast using your fingers. Then pack the stuffing in, but not too tightly, as it will expand during cooking. Don't expect to get it all in as what's left over will go into the body cavity. Pat it to make a nice round shape and then secure the flap underneath with a small skewer or a couple of cocktail sticks.

Now add the rest of the stuffing to the body cavity, then place two large sheets of foil across the roasting tin, one widthways and one lengthways. Then lay the turkey on its back in the centre of the tin and spread it generously all over with the softened butter, making sure the thighs are particularly well covered (use your hands for this).

Next, season the bird all over with salt and pepper and finally lay the slices of pancetta all over the breast and legs, overlapping each other. Now wrap the turkey loosely in the foil: the parcel must be firmly sealed but roomy enough to provide an air space around most of the upper part of the bird. So bring one piece of foil up and fold both ends over to make a pleat along the length of the breastbone.

Then bring the other piece up at both ends, and crimp and fold to make a neat parcel. Now it's all ready for the oven. Pop it in and cook it at the initial high temperature for 40 minutes, then reduce the heat to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C), and let the turkey cook slowly for a further 3½-4 hours. Finally, turn the oven up to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) and get someone to help you lift the turkey out of the oven – it's very heavy!

Then remove the foil from the top and sides of the bird, and place the pancetta slices on a small baking sheet. Now, using a long-handled spoon, baste the turkey thoroughly with all the buttery juices and then return it to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes to finish browning, giving it as much basting as possible during this time. Also, pop the pancetta into the oven to allow it to become really crisp and crunchy, as this is good to serve along with the turkey.

To tell whether the turkey is cooked, just pierce the thickest part of the leg with a skewer – if the juices run clear, it's cooked. Also, when you give the leg a little tug, you'll feel it give a little. After you remove it from the oven, give it at least 30 minutes, but up to 50 minutes, covered with foil in a warm place to relax. What happens during this time is that the juices which have all bubbled up to the surface will begin to seep back into the flesh, and this is what will make the turkey nice and juicy when you come to carve it.

Meanwhile, warm up 10 fl oz (275 ml) of the giblet stock and soak the apricots in it for 30 minutes. Then, to make the sauce, spoon off the excess fat from the roasting tin, leaving only the juices and about 2 tablespoons of the fat remaining.

Then place it over direct heat turned t

Begin by chopping all the herbs as per the instructions given in the ingredients list, then mix the butter, herbs and garlic together, adding a level teaspoon of salt and some freshly milled black pepper.

Now stab the joint in several places with a skewer, and rub the herb butter all over the upper side – this will allow the butter to run into the joint during cooking.

Next, wrap the joint loosely in foil, allowing a bit of space to let air circulate, then fold the edges and seal well. Now place it in a large roasting tin and cook for 2 hours on the centre shelf of the pre-heated oven, then open out the foil and cook it for a further 30 minutes, so that it browns nicely.

With these cooking times the lamb will be slightly pink. If you like it well done, give it a little extra time in the foil before opening it out.

When it is ready, remove the joint to a warm serving dish and keep in a warm place while you make the gravy. Empty the juices from the foil into the roasting tin, then tilt the tin slightly.

You will see that the meat juices and fat will separate, so spoon off most of the fat into a bowl and discard, and leave the juices in the tin.

Now place the tin over a medium heat, and when the juices start to bubble, sprinkle in the flour and work it to a smooth paste, using a wooden spoon, then cook for a minute or so, to brown.

Now pour in the wine and let it bubble, then gradually add the stock by degrees, to make a thin gravy.

Taste and add seasoning, if it needs it, then pour into a jug.

Place the redcurrant jelly in a small basin, break it up with a fork, then mix in the orange zest and mint – and that's it. This must be one of the quickest sauces in the world, and it's absolutely delicious.

Pour it in a jug and serve with the lamb and the gravy.

First of all, the chicken and the grapes need to be at room temperature, so remove them from the fridge about an hour (half an hour on a hot day) before cooking. Snip off the strings and open out the chicken.

Reserve four sprigs of tarragon for later, then strip off the leaves and chop them, reserving a tablespoonful. Now cut the grapes in half and finely chop the shallot. Next, in a bowl, combine the shallots, chopped tarragon and about two-thirds of the grapes, then place the whole lot inside the body cavity of the chicken.

Then season the chicken and place it in a roasting tin into the lower third of the oven and roast for 1 hour - without opening the door. (Because ovens vary, test the thickest part of the chicken with a skewer and if the juices run clear, it's cooked. If not, give it another 5-10 minutes.)

What you now need to do is spoon out the grape stuffing and keep on one side. Then put a wooden spoon into the cavity and, using a spatula to hold the breast end, tip the chicken and let all the juices run out into the roasting tin. Transfer the chicken to a carving board and leave in a warm place to rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the tin over direct heat, add the wine and let the whole lot bubble and reduce by half - this will take about 5-6 minutes. Then whisk in the creme fraiche, add the stuffing and the rest of the grapes, and let it gently bubble for another 8 minutes. Finally add the reserved chopped tarragon, carve the chicken, spoon the sauce over and garnish with sprigs of tarragon.

Notes on ingredients
For a 1.76kg chicken it will take an extra 10 minutes and may smoke a little because of the extra fat content but it's nothing to worry about.

Nutrition: 531kcals/8.1g carbohydrate/7.4g sugars/33.8g fat/11.1g saturated fat/0.4g salt per serving.

Begin by peeling the potatoes and chopping them into ¾ inch (2cm cubes). Place them in a saucepan with some salt, then cover them with boiling water and simmer for about 8 minutes or until they're just tender. 

Meanwhile melt the butter in a large frying-pan and cook the onions and apples gently for about 10 minutes, then add the sage and parsley and finally the drained potatoes. Stir to mix everything thoroughly, season with salt and pepper, then pack the stuffing into the body cavity of the goose.

Roast the bird in exactly the same way as described in the recipe for Roast Stuffed Goose with Prunes in Armagnac. 

Serve with a gravy made from goose giblet stock and the roasting-tin juices remaining after the fat has been drained off. 

Give each person some of the stuffing and have a bowl of Spiced pickled pears, reheated for 5 minutes in their own juices, on the table for everyone to help themselves.  (I have one very enthusiastic friend who managed no less than four pickled pears in one sitting!)

All you do is peel the onion and, leaving the root intact, cut it into quarters and then into eighths. Then cut the potatoes into wedges. Now, in a bowl, mix all the vegetables together with the oil from the pack, plus the other tablespoon. Next, chop all the rosemary and add this to the vegetables, along with plenty of salt and freshly milled black pepper. Then tip the vegetables on to the hot baking tray and roast on a high shelf in the oven for 35–40 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

Do not trim the fat from the tenderloin as this will help to keep it moist.

Slice it in half lengthways, batter the 2 halves with a rolling pin to flatten and widen them slightly, then season with salt and freshly milled pepper. Next, to prepare the stuffing, melt the butter in a medium frying pan and fry the onion gently over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until softened, then stir in the herbs and mushrooms and raise the heat slightly.

Cook for 3 or 4 minutes then transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl. Lightly beat the egg with the cream and add this, along with the remaining stuffing ingredients, to the bowl. Fork the mixture together lightly, taste and season. Now pat the stuffing on to one half of the tenderloin, and replace the other half on top. Smear the fillet with the softened butter and season with freshly milled pepper. Then lay the bacon on top of the fillet to cover it. Tie the fillet round with string at about 2 inch (5 cm) intervals to hold the whole thing together, slip a long palette knife under its length and transfer to the buttered roasting tin.

Bake in the top half of the oven for 1 hour. Then transfer the fillet to a dish to keep warm and now make the gravy. Place the tin over direct heat and sprinkle in the flour to soak up the juices, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Then, when it’s smooth, gradually add the wine, switching to a balloon whisk to whisk everything together and then let the gravy bubble till syrupy.

Serve the pork, cut into thick slices, with the gravy poured over, and perhaps a garnish of fried apple rings. To make these, core but do not peel the apples, then cut them into rings and fry gently in the butter in a large frying pan until tender.

First of all remove the meat or poultry from the roasting tin. Place the tin over a gentle direct heat, and have a bowl ready, then tilt the tin and you will see quite clearly the fat separating from the darker juices.

So now you need to spoon off the fat into the bowl using a tablespoon, but remember, you need to leave 1-1½ tablespoons of fat, along with all the juices, in the tin.

Now let the fat and juices begin to bubble, turn the heat up to medium, use a wooden spoon to scrape all the crusty bits from the base of the tin, adding a rounded tablespoon of sauce flour. Then using circular movements, with the wooden spoon, blend it into the fat, juices and crusty bits as quickly as you can.

Speed is of the essence – gentle, faint-hearted stirring is not what’s needed here: you should be mixing in the manner of a speeded up film!

When the flour is absorbed you will have a smooth paste, so now begin to add the hot stock, a little at a time, whisking briskly and blending after each addition. Now switch to a balloon whisk and you will find that, as the stock is added, and it reaches simmering point, the gravy will have thickened.



Now your own preference comes into play. If the gravy is too thin, let it bubble and reduce a little; if it's too thick, add a little more liquid. If you want to improve the colour just add a drop of gravy browning and just whisk it in.

Finally, taste and season with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

Then pour the gravy into a warmed jug ready for the table.



For pork, which has pale juices, add onion to the roasting tin. This will caramelise during cooking and give colour to the juices. The onion may also be used with other joints and poultry to give colour.



For lamb, add a teaspoon of mustard powder with the flour, a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly to melt into the gravy, and some red wine to add body.



For duck, add the grated zest and juice of a small orange, along with a glass of port.

For beef, add a wineglass of Sercial Madeira – this enriches the beef flavour magically.