Loads of dishes taste better when you cook them with stock, and it’s easier than you think to make your own. Bones leftover from the Sunday roast are perfect, along with clean vegetable peelings, and the stalks of some fresh parsley.

Brown Meat Stock:

For brown meat stocks, you can get bones from your local butcher very cheaply. Put the bones into a large roasting tray with 2 peeled and halved onions. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees for one hour until well browned. Put the bones and onions into a large saucepan and fill the pan with cold water.  Add some peeled and halved carrots, two halved celery sticks, some peppercorns, and some parsley stalks.

Chicken Stock:

Add your chicken bones, either leftover from a Sunday roast, or chicken wings, etc. into a large saucepan with a large peeled and halved onion, some peeled and halved carrots, two celery sticks laved, some black peppercorns, and some parsley stocks.

Cooking Method:

For both stocks, bring to a simmer and using a ladle, skim off the scum (the froth that floats to the surface). Cook for around two to three hours, tasting often, until the stock has a good depth of flavour. Pour the contents of the pan through a strainer into a large, clean bowl, and skim off any fat from the surface. If you can, leave the stock to go cold, then chill overnight. Remove the solidified fat from the surface the next day. If you aren’t using the stock right away, use an ice cube tray to freeze the stock, so you can use it in dishes as and when needed.

If you find after straining the stock that the flavour isn’t strong enough, reduce it down further before chilling and freezing. And there you have it, quick, easy and delicious homemade stock!