Why Do We Eat Bread Sauce At Christmas?

Bread sauce, with its glorious gelatinous mounds, is a staple of the British Christmas table. We like to scoop it, steaming, onto our meat and vegetables or slather it across a slice of bread with stuffing and cranberry sauce. But we all know it’s also delicious later on, after it has cooled down in the fridge and slightly congealed – it’s hard to resist dipping a silver spoon into it, for a carb-filled mouthful as you pass through the kitchen. So where does this British dish come from and how can you make it?

Bread Sauce: Recipe & History

The History Of Bread Sauce

For anyone who didn’t grow up in a British home, slaving over a large vat of seasoned bread-mush (which is essentially what bread sauce is) seems like an odd concept. But there is something undeniably comforting and familiar in this simple dish, which harkens back to the Medieval period. Cooks used to use bread as a thickening agent in sauces, which is probably where this festive condiment originated – if there’s one thing we have in common with our Medieval ancestors, it’s the desire to use up stale bread. They used other ingredients sometimes too, like nuts and eggs, but bread was cheap, abundant, and delicious.

Soups and sauces were particularly important for a 14th century banquet, due to the excessive amount of meat they served. It was important to balance out the flavours with something mild and warming. In the Forme of Cury, usually attributed to the Master Cooks of King Richard II, there is a recipe for cinnamon sauce which involves cooking bread with vinegar, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, pepper and ginger – a ‘lordly sauce’ to pair with the venison, which is surprisingly similar to our modern version of bread sauce.

As tastes have changed and these starchy sides have dwindled, bread sauce is the only one that remains in the 21st century – a proud piece of history served alongside your Brussel sprouts at Christmas. Nigella Lawson says, ‘I regard bread sauce as not only my legacy from my mother, but every Briton’s sacred and stodgy inheritance.’ Its spicy scent is a reminder of home, and a tradition we must uphold. So, without further ado, here is a fail-safe recipe for bread sauce, inspired by TikTok chef @thechefaaronmiddleton.

@thechefaaronmiddleton My 25 Days of Christmas! Day 12- Bread Sauce. • ingredients- -1 Onion. -30g butter. -2g Ground Cloves. -1g Nutmeg. -3 Sprigs of Thyme. -200g Chopped bread. -300g Whole milk. -50g Double Cream. -10g Chives Finley sliced. -Flacked salt & Cracked Black-pepper. • Method: -Finally dice your onion then sweat with your butter in a medium-size pan on low heat with a good pinch of salt and pepper for around five minutes. -Chop your time and add into the onions when they are translucent and soft. -Pour in your milk and bring to a simmer Then take off the heat and add the spices leave this to steep for around 10 minutes while you cut your bread. -Chopped bread into small dice and adds to your hot milk then stir until the bread is softened and reaches a sauce consistency. -At this stage you can store the bread sauce base for up to 3 days, to finish the source reheat in the pan or in the microwave add your cream and chives and a touch of salt and pepper then serve. • #christmas #salt #recipe #roast #christmasdinner #christmastime #masterchef #masterchefuk #bread #clove #foryou ♬ original sound – Aaron Middleton

How To Make Bread Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 30g butter
• 2g ground cloves
• 1g nutmeg
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 200g stale chopped bread
• 300g whole milk
• 50g double cream
• 10g chives (finely sliced)
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Finely dice your onion then fry it with your butter in a medium-size pan on low heat for around five minutes. 
2. When they are translucent and soft, chop your thyme and add it into the onions.
3. Pour in your milk and bring to a simmer (but don’t boil). Then take the pan off the heat and add the ground cloves and nutmeg.
4. Leave the spices to infuse for about thirty minutes.
5. Chop bread into small 2cm cubes and add them to your hot milk. Then put the pan over a low heat and stir until the bread is softened and the sauce is thickened.
6. Add the cream and chives, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Pour the bread sauce into a warm bowl or a gravy boat, and sprinkle some extra ground nutmeg on top to serve.