Step 1

When the joint is cooked, remove it from the oven tray and set aside. Cover the meat with foil and leave to rest while making the gravy.

Step 2

Spoon off any excess fat, then place the roasting tin on the hob and heat gently. Add a couple of heaped teaspoons of plain flour (2 teaspoons is enough to thicken about 300ml liquid) and stir into the meat juices, scraping up all the sticky, caramelised meat sediment as you go.

Step 3

Cook for a minute or so until the flour turns golden and thickens, then gradually add red wine, stock or the cooking water from your vegetables (or a mixture of them all), stirring well and bringing up to the boil before splashing in a little more liquid, until you have the pouring consistency you like.

Step 4

You can also stir in a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly at the end for extra richness – the sharpness of the redcurrants helps cut through any greasiness.

Step 5

Taste and season well. Strain the gravy through a sieve into a clean pan, then return to the boil and serve.