Gordon Ramsay’s Madeira sauce is dark, glossy and rich, made with Madeira wine, chicken stock, bacon, onion and fresh herbs, ready in about 25 minutes. The sauce gets its body from two separate reductions rather than flour, so it’s lighter than a gravy but just as full-flavoured.
In Great British Pub Food, Ramsay serves this with roast grouse and notes that “the Madeira sauce also works well with chicken.” On The F Word he makes a variation for duck breast, calling Madeira wine “absolutely perfect for making sauces with rich gamey meat” and saying the secret is to keep it “really nice and sweet, slightly fruity to help match the richness of the duck.”
The double reduction is the technique that makes this sauce work. The Madeira goes in first and reduces by two-thirds on its own before the stock is added. That concentrates the wine’s nutty sweetness so it isn’t washed out when the stock goes in for the second reduction.
Gordon Ramsay Madeira Sauce Recipe
Course: SaucesCuisine: British, FrenchDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes20
minutes95
kcal25
minutesGordon Ramsay’s Madeira sauce from Great British Pub Food. Two reductions, no flour, strained smooth. The bacon base adds savoury depth without the sauce tasting meaty.
Ingredients
20g butter
2 unsmoked streaky bacon rashers, derinded and chopped
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
Few rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped
Few thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
300ml Madeira wine
750ml chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Brown the bacon: Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until it starts to colour, about 3-4 minutes.
- Soften the onion: Stir in the onion and sweat over a medium heat for 4-6 minutes until softened but not browned.
- Add herbs and Madeira: Increase the heat, add the rosemary and thyme leaves, then pour in the Madeira wine. Let it bubble until reduced by two-thirds, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add stock and reduce again: Pour in the chicken stock, bring to the boil and reduce by two-thirds until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Season to taste.
- Strain and serve: Pour the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing the solids to extract all the flavour. Reheat gently and serve.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay reduce the Madeira wine before adding the stock?
Most recipes add wine and stock together. Ramsay reduces the Madeira by two-thirds on its own first, concentrating the nutty sweetness into a thick syrup before the stock goes near it.
Add them together and the stock drowns the wine. You end up with flavoured gravy instead of a proper Madeira sauce.
Why does Ramsay use bacon as the base instead of just butter?
The chopped bacon renders its fat into the butter, adding savoury depth without the finished sauce tasting meaty. Once strained, the bacon comes out but the flavour stays.
I tried it with just butter and onion once and the sauce was noticeably flatter.
Does Ramsay make different versions for different meats?
Yes. The Great British Pub Food version uses bacon, onion and herbs for grouse. On The F Word he swaps in shallots and mushrooms for duck, with halved cherries stirred in after straining.
The base technique stays the same: Madeira reduced, stock reduced, strained. Only the aromatics change depending on the protein.
Why does Ramsay strain the sauce?
Straining removes the bacon, onion and herb stalks so the finished sauce is glossy, dark and completely smooth. He presses the solids in the sieve to squeeze out every last drop of flavour before discarding them.
That clean texture is what separates this from a chunky pan gravy.
Does Madeira sauce keep well?
Much better than béarnaise. No eggs or emulsions to worry about, so it reheats perfectly. Keeps 3-4 days in the fridge, freezes for a month.
Reheat gently with a splash of stock if it’s too thick. Brilliant prep-ahead sauce for a beef wellington or Sunday roast chicken.
What is the difference between Madeira and Marsala sauce?
Different wines, different countries. Madeira is Portuguese, nutty and dry. Marsala is Sicilian, sweeter and more caramel-forward.
In the Ultimate Cookery Course, Ramsay notes Marsala can be “substituted with Madeira” but that’s for Italian dishes where sweetness is the goal. His Madeira sauce is French in style, built on reduction. Using Marsala here would make it too sweet.
