Gravy How You Like It

Comfort food is a strange thing.

Lovingly prepared, 24-hour, rare breed roast pork in Somerset cider.

Long strips of perfect crackling.

A generous dollop of cauliflower cheese and stacks of crisp, gorgeous roast potatoes – fluffy on the inside, of course.

And beautifully reduced lashings of gravy, perfectly seasoned, rich with cider and porky goodness.

This was one of the regular Sunday dishes on offer where I worked in a former life as a chef. It even came with an unorthodox but nevertheless welcome side of homemade Yorkshire pudding.

Despite the care and quality employed in feeding customers, every now and then one would have a complaint.

But when two young ladies returned their plates, requesting that the temperamental head chef instead dowse them with the sort of brown, thick sludge that comes from a well-known brand of instant gravy granules, all hell broke loose.

Once the expletives subsided (and the kettle had boiled), the customers got what they wanted – comfort food and familiarity and satisfaction – which, after all, is what hospitality is all about.

And, yes, it was plated with the same care and love as if it had taken 3 hours to produce instead of 30 seconds.

Here at Mendip Media we love delivering food shoots with the same aims, regardless of whether the product is high cuisine or everyday familiar:  ‘the customer is always right.’ Plus, the food has to look as good as it tastes.

That’s why we have one of the best resourced studio facilities in the region for food photography and video shoots – complete with a full prep kitchen … and not a sweary head chef in sight.

We recommend:

Gloucester Old Spots are a local rare breed increasing in popularity due to their unique flavour, superior crackling, and ethically raised conditions. We filmed award winning Old Spots at the Bath and West Show this year together with their piglets.

James Martin’s recipe for Yorkshire puddings is a fool proof winner every time, whether made in individual muffin tins or a jumbo Yorkshire pud tin for the bigger-batter lover.

by Michael Lekes, Producer