I’m a bit of a purest when it comes to stocks and gravies and always make mine from scratch. Not because I enjoy the whole process because I don’t. And as anyone who makes their own stock will know, it is a time consuming, messy business. I hate disposing of all the cooked down bones and vegetable pulp not to mention scrubbing the roasting tin and big soup kettle. But I do it nonetheless because you really can’t beat the flavour of a good homemade stock, it  is the cornerstone of great tasting dishes.

Quite frankly you can keep your Knorr, your Maggi and your Marigold, I won’t touch them with a barge pole even though they are super convenient. I can tell instantly if they’ve been used to flavour food because the overiding taste is salty and synthetic.

So I was genuinely excited when I heard about ESSENTIAL CUISINE. It turns out they manufacture a variety of powdered stocks and gravies for chefs, but here’s the difference, theirs are formulated in professional kitchens by top chefs for chefs. Not surprisingly they are highly regarded in the trade and have picked up five great taste awards for their lamb, beef, veal, vegetable and chicken stocks. But the good news is, Essential Cuisine stocks are available for the home cook as well as the professionals.

I recently tested out three of their powdered stocks: the beef, veal and vegetable as well as their savoury gravy mix. Here are my findings:

BEEF STOCK: Deep rich beefy flavour
VEAL STOCK: More subtle than the beef and well rounded
VEGETABLE STOCK: Light, fresh flavour
SAVOURY GRAVY MIX: Good savoury flavour

All four were very easy to use, the powder is very fine and dissolves instantly – no mess, no lumps, no fuss. You can adjust the flavour strength to your own personal preference but the ratios they suggest on the packaging instructions were spot on. Each tub costs £3.85 and comes with the claim “One little pot makes over a gallon of stock.”

I was skeptical before trying them beforehand, but now I’m impressed. Essential Cuisine stocks are very clever and get the thumbs up from me especially the beef, which is as good as the real thing. I’m keen to test the lamb, chicken and fish next and can see the turkey stock will come in handy over Christmas. If Essential Cuisine’s other stocks are as good as the beef, veal and vegetable, I won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to try!

Where To Buy
Lakeland website: http://bit.ly/1Pl16k6 
Essential Cuisine http://bit.ly/1LbpXBT