Dating back to the Middle Ages, bread sauce is a traditional British dish and, over the years, has become a popular addition to Christmas dinners.

However, despite the sauce's long history, many Brits opt to make this from a mix or packet, something TV chef Delia Smith has bemoaned.

Sharing her recipe for traditional bread sauce, which features in her book The Delia Collection: Chicken, Delia wrote: "Traditional bread sauce is one of the great, classic British sauces, but I think it has suffered from either not being made properly or – worst of all – being made from a mix or packet.

"The real thing is beautifully creamy and the perfect accompaniment to chicken or turkey."

Delia's bread sauce recipe will leave any guests impressed this festive season, and will leave you with a delicious addition to your Christmas dinner.

Method

Start by cutting the onion in half and sticking the cloves or cinnamon inside.

Delia suggests that the amount used can depend on your preferences, adding that she uses quite a lot as she is a fan of the taste of cloves.

If you are not you can use less, or use cinnamon instead.

Then, place the clove/cinnamon-filled onion, bay leaf and peppercorns in a saucepan with the milk.

Add some salt and bring everything to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk to infuse for two hours or more.

Once this has infused, and you're ready to make the sauce, remove the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns from the pan and keep them to the side.

Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and add one ounce (25 g) of the butter. Place the saucepan on a low heat, stirring every now and then, until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce, which should take about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add the clove-studded onion, bay leaf and peppercorns back into the pan. Place in a warm location until the sauce is needed.

Just before serving, remove the onion and spices. Reheat and then beat in the remaining butter and the cream and taste to check the seasoning.