Classic Béchamel Sauce Mix from Essential Cuisine

Essential Cuisine has launched a Classic Béchamel Sauce Mix, which combines flour, butter and milk with a balanced combination of onion, clove, pepper and bay leaf for a smooth, rich roux-based sauce.

It can be used neat in lasagne, cannelloni or soufflés or as a base for the chef's own creations - adding, for example, cheese for a mornay or cheese sauce, parsley, mustard, mushrooms and cream, or a white wine and cream reduction for a classic cream sauce.

Caterers simply add a litre of full-cream or semi-skimmed milk to 80g of the mix to create a sauce that has superior bain-marie holding qualities and is freeze-thaw stable.

Like other mixes in Essential's Classic range (including veal, beef, chicken demi-glace and lobster bisque), the newcomer is sold in 1.5kg pots that yield 18 litres of sauce and cost £17.

To buy it, callEssential Cuisine0870 050 1133