Stocks

A hundred kilos of veal, chicken and fish bones arrive daily in the kitchen at the Ivy to make stocks for sauces and soups.

At home it is useful to keep some concentrated stocks in the freezer: if you need a litre, it’s just as quick to make five and concentrate what you don’t use. Freeze it in little tubs; when you need it, defrost it and add water. Here are four simple stocks that you will need for recipes throughout the book. The quantities given for each provide 5 litres. If you plan to order the bones in advance from your butcher ask him to chop them into pieces as you will get more bones in your pot and more flavour in your stock.