Christmas Dinner Gravy

Heat the oven to 160°C fan.

Roughly chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Put them in a roasting dish along with the sage leaves and bay leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Slide into the preheated oven to roast for 15 mins until soft.

Meanwhile, add the miso and mushrooms to a small bowl. Pour over the boiling water and set aside for 10 mins to infuse.

Remove the vegetable tray from the oven and set it over a medium-high heat on the hob. Stir the veggies until they get a bit more colour, then mix in the flour and mustard and cook for one minute until sticky and bubbling. Add a splash of the infused miso and mushroom water and scrape the pan to deglaze any sticky bits, then transfer the mixture to a large saucepan.

Gradually whisk in the remaining infused boiling water, along with the soaked mushrooms, continually stirring to avoid lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for around 5–7 mins until you have a thickened gravy.

Remove from the heat, strain through a sieve to get rid of any lumps and season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard the herbs. Set aside the mushrooms and roasted vegetables and use them to make my stuffing.

Store the gravy in a container until ready for use. Before serving, gently heat in a saucepan set over a moderate heat until hot.