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GRAVY, BROWN, SOUP (made from bones and trimmings)

Take the bones of roast meat--beef is the best--which weighed before cooking about twelve pounds. Break them up into small pieces, and put these into a saucepan, with five quarts of cold water. Bring the liquid to a boil, skim carefully, and simmer gently, but continuously, for six hours. Strain through a sieve, and leave the soup until the next day. Remove the fat from the top, leave any sediment there may be at the bottom, and pour the soup gently into a clean saucepan, with two carrots, one turnip, three onions, all sliced, a head of celery, or a salt-spoonful of pounded celery-seed, tied in muslin, a bundle of sweet herbs, and eight peppercorns. Bring it to a boil, skim it carefully, and add a dessert-spoonful of salt, which will assist the scum in rising. Draw it to the side of the fire, and simmer gently for two hours. Strain it two or three times, and, to clear it, stir into it when hot the whites of two eggs whisked thoroughly, and mixed with four tea-spoonfuls of cold water, and afterwards with a little of the soup. Beat this into the soup over the fire, and keep whisking till it boils. Skim carefully till it is quite clear. Add three table-spoonfuls of Bovril, and, if necessary, a little browning (see BROWNING), but great care must be taken with this, or the flavour of the soup will be spoilt. This is a wholesome, nourishing, and cheap soup, which costs 4d. per quart, and though it cannot be said to be quite equal to one which costs 1s. 4d., yet, if the directions are closely followed, the result will be decidedly satisfactory.