Here’s a great recipe for an easy-to-make Ale Gravy for those Autumn, comfort-food recipes which we love. It’s good with slow-roast, fall apart beef brisket and also with sausages and mash. You will need:

• 700g onions
• pinch of sugar
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 25g butter
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 600ml brown ale
• 600ml beef stock
• half a star anise
• 2 cloves
• 2 bay leaves

Peel and thinly slice the onions. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-based pan, add the onions and sugar and cook over a low heat until soft and caramelised (about 45 mins). Stir in the flour and cook out for 1 min. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, raise the heat and boil vigorously until the sauce has reduced to a thick, glossy paste (about 20 mins). Remove the star anise, bay leaves and cloves before serving.

This is Rick Stein’s recipe. I found it on the BBC website where you can see more from Rick if you follow this link.