Stocks & Sauces

Easy Bread Sauce Recipe

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My easy bread sauce recipe is the most delicious and comforting accompaniment to roast grouse, Christmas cockerel or a classic roast chicken. It’s a quiet star of the table, often overshadowed by gravy, but equally deserving of attention. Rich, creamy and infused with the warm aromas of cloves, nutmeg and onion, it’s the perfect foil for roast poultry or game birds.

It’s incredibly simple to make and offers a nostalgic nod to classic British cooking. Spoon it generously over slices of turkey on Christmas Day or serve it with a midwinter roast. Either way, it deserves its place on the table.

Serves: 4–6 as an accompaniment, though it rarely hangs around for long.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Method

  1. Prepare the Breadcrumbs: Blitz the bread in a food processor to create fine breadcrumbs.
  2. Infuse the Milk: Pour the milk into a saucepan. Stud one of the onion halves with the cloves and lower both halves into the milk.
  3. Add Aromatics: Drop in the bay leaf and grate a little nutmeg into the milk.
  4. Simmer: Bring the milk to a slow simmer over medium heat. Cook gently for 25 minutes or until the onion is completely soft and tender to the push of a knife.
  5. Add the Breadcrumbs: Remove the onion and bay leaf, then add the breadcrumbs and butter to the milk. Stir well and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.
  6. Blend and Finish: Take the mixture off the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Remove the bay leaf and a couple of the cloves, but leave the remaining ingredients in. Blitz the mixture until completely smooth, then return it to the pan.
  7. Add Cream and Seasoning: Stir in the cream and season generously with salt.
  8. Reheat When Needed: Gently reheat the bread sauce before serving.

Tip: This bread sauce freezes well, making it perfect for preparing ahead of time.

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Valentine Warner is a chef, food writer, broadcaster and business owner with a deep-rooted interest in nature, travel and provincial food. He describes his cooking style as “International Grandmother,” blending a strong sense of storytelling with an infectious love of cookery.

Val has a deep respect for ingredients, both wild and cultivated, and an instinctive ability to turn whatever’s available into something hearty, wholesome and satisfying. A firm advocate of native food sources, he shares common ground with Swaledale in championing meat that is flavourful, ethical and high welfare.

Originally trained as a portrait painter, Val has authored five cookbooks, run his own catering company, and is co-owner of Taqueria, a well-loved Mexican café in West London. He is also a partner in Hepple Distillery in Northumberland and Holmen Lofoten, a hotel on Arctic Norway’s Lofoten islands.