Fondo bruno, the brown stock of classic Italian and French cookery, in granular form: the sauce base you need without the bones and the eight-hour simmer.

Made by Greci in Parma to a traditional professional recipe, without added monosodium glutamate and lactose-free. One 500g tin makes about five litres.

It gives a deep, roasted, meaty base with a gentle vegetable sweetness from onion, celery and carrot.

Whisk 100g into a litre of cold water and bring to the boil, stirring. Use it for braised beef, gravy for roasts, or to bind and enrich a ragù.