Old Jake's Gravy Saviour

Web Generation Gravy Salt

Old Jake's Gravy Saviour is gravy salt for "proper gravy", as good as Granny's, and widely praised as a very good replacement for Burdall's Next Generation Gravy Block, which was manufactured until December, 2000 by Space Foods Ltd in the same village: Wymondham in Leicestershire.  In fact, particularly with the Stronger Stuff version, long-term users are saying Old Jake's is their all-time favourite!  Customers are also reporting their pleasure in finding an alternative to Comptons Gravy Salt but, as Gravy Saviour and Stronger Stuff don't intentionally contain flour or cornflour, any thickening of the gravy is left to the chef.  Some users reserve a portion of their Yorkshire pudding batter for this purpose.  The caramel colouring in the gravy salt simply browns the juices or liquid and adds aroma and flavour without recourse to the flavour "enhancers" which give a "factory made" flavour to so many foods.  With their origins in Victorian times, the products are nevertheless suitable for 21st-century vegetarians and will add that long-remembered touch to many savoury dishes.

Old Jake's products are made with sea salt and, having the consistency of dark brown sugar, they are easier to use than gravy salt pressed into a block.  The new versions of the old favourite are packed in a 250g plastic tub and will yield over 30 one-pint servings if made up as recommended.  (It's better not to add salt to the cooking water for vegetables, if you intend using it as the basis for gravy.)
 
The products are labelled as having a two year shelf-life, but will keep practically indefinitely.  Please use a round-ended knife or a spoon to divide up the gravy salt every now and then, and remember to snap the lid back in place.  When you've finished your pack the tub is suitable for use in a microwave, or to house a small child's collection of "things which could be lost if not put somewhere safe".  Some users donate their empty tubs to local primary schools.
 
The Stronger Stuff contains 50 per cent more caramel, for those who want a bit more oomph or a lower-salt alternative.  2/3 tsp of Stronger Stuff has the same caramel strength as 1 tsp of Gravy Saviour, but 1/3 tsp less salt.  You can use less and save money!  Some customers were under the misapprehension that the name for Stronger Stuff must mean the product is more salty:  it isn't!

Update, 17^th April, 2008:  Deliveries are back to normal, following my short break.
 
Congratulations to the Oxford University Boat Crew on their recent win.  Keep on enjoying the Stronger Stuff, chaps!
 
Recent deliveries have been made to Waters & Sons, Brigg; The Pork Shop, Loughborough; Howell's Superstores of Binham, Norfolk; Hutson's of Pakefield, Suffolk, and Bennett's Butchers of Sutton-on-Sea, Lincolnshire.
 
The Gravy Saviour is finding its way to more stockists across the East Midlands, along with Church Farm Produce from Janie's Gingham Kitchen.  Please check the list of shops towards the foot of the page from time to time for updates. 
 
The last ever stock of Burdall's Gravy Blocks is available, dated best before end of March 2005.  The packs in best cosmetic condition have been kept till last, and these collectors' items are listed for sale below.
 
Most customers who printed the old plain text order form have not been able to get it to fit on a single sheet of A4 paper.  It is possible, but you need to follow the instructions.  To ease the process and help save paper at the same time, the order form for posted orders is now available as a PDF, a document format designed for printing.

Allergy advice:  the products are mixed in a bakery, so may contain traces of gluten-containing flours (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt), nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, and soya.  I am confident that any flour contamination is below the Coeliac UK guidelines and the levels of contamination from other allergens are even lower, but if you are in any doubt about using the products due to dietary restrictions, please err on the side of caution.  The products contain no meat extracts and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.  If you feel my production process could be tailored to your requirements, please let me know.

Prices:  Including postage and packing to UK addresses, per single 250g tub -
Old Jake's Gravy Saviour:  £4.85 second class; £5.25 first class; £5.85 expedited.
Old Jake's Stronger Stuff:  £5.60 second class; £6.00 first class; £6.60 expedited.
 
For two 250g tubs, including postage and packing to a UK address -
Old Jake's Gravy Saviour:  £8.20 second class; £9.00 first class; £10.20 expedited.
Old Jake's Stronger Stuff:  £9.70 second class; £10.50 first class; £11.70 expedited.
 
For one tub each of Gravy Saviour and Stronger Stuff sent to a UK address -
£8.95 second class; £9.75 first class; £10.95 expedited.
 
For greater quantites, please see the order form or below, for online ordering and international orders.  Prices are reviewed in March each year, but may be subject to change in the meantime so please don't rely on an outdated order form.  The current prices are stated on this website; information found elsewhere may be inaccurate.

Cancelled orders:  the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 allow you to cancel your order.  Should you wish to cancel, please inform me by email or by letter within two weeks of receipt of your order.  Please return the items, which must still be in unopened and good saleable condition, at your own expense using Royal Mail's Recorded Signed For service (standard first or second class postage plus 72 pence) and a refund will be issued.

Delivery:  At peak times (Autumn/Winter) especially, please allow 28 days for delivery apart from expedited delivery, which will place your order ahead of any current standard orders, for first class delivery as soon as possible (subject to stock being available and bearing in mind that I can usually only post on Mondays, Tuesday mornings and Thursdays).  Any problems with production or dispatch (unless I should be very unwell, or my PC has given up the ghost) will be noted in the highlighted section above.  Most orders for several tubs are sent at the same time but split into packages of two or three tubs, with an indication of the total number of packages in the consignment on the address labels.  It's possible for an order for four or more tubs to arrive over the course of a few days, even though they were dispatched at the same time.  If Royal Mail cannot deliver to you, a card should be left and the package will be held at the sorting office for one month.  If it is not collected and so then returned to me, the same package cannot be re-sent and so no refund or free replacement can be given.  The current charge for re-sending two items with second class P&P is £4.00.  If you know you are going to be away, please arrange for your order to be delivered elsewhere.

Please make your payment payable to Old Jake and send with address(es) for delivery to:

Tip:  You can copy the address text by selecting it with the mouse and then using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C.  The text may then be pasted into a document by pressing Ctrl+V.  Alternatively, print out an order form (PDF version).  If you require a simple plain text file, then please use this version - it should fit on a single sheet of A4 paper if you choose to print it straight from your web-browser, with text size set to smallest (from the View, Text Size menu option for users of Internet Explorer) and with margins set to 20mm or less, but without a Header or Footer.  Recent versions of web-browsers should allow you to "shrink to fit", if necessary, in the Print Preview dialogue.  If opening the file in wordprocessor software, the text will align correctly if you select it all and change to a fixed width font such as Courier New.  If all that sounds too complicated, then the PDF version is your best option, provided you have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you most likely do, but if not then the Cool PDF Reader software is also free but, at less than 1 MB, a much smaller download.

It would be appreciated if cheques and postal orders were sent unfolded and with no staples or pins.  Paperclips are OK!  I am not yet set up to take card payments over the `phone, and nor do I sell from the door at the address above.

For posted orders it helps speed things if you also send an email with your name and address, number of tubs ordered and postage (1st or 2nd class, or expedited delivery) to:  jake@oldjake.co.uk.  Then I can simply copy-&-paste your address into my label-printing program and have your order ready for dispatch.  To make it simple for all concerned, please do not indent the address or place it all on one line.  If the post code is omitted Royal Mail can take up to a month to deliver the package, and no compensation will be paid in case of loss or damage.

I prefer to receive emails which are plain text (non-HTML).  For reasons beyond my control, it may be impossible for me to get an email through to users of Hotmail and MSN accounts, so please supply an alternative address or a non-mobile telephone number for a greater chance of contact, if necessary.  For orders of 12 or more items a contact number is essential, in order to book the courier.

Please double-check the value of your order before writing your cheque, as an underpayment may delay dispatch for you and possibly anyone else awaiting a delivery, simply because extra time is required to deal with anything non-standard.  I reserve the right to downgrade to 2nd-class postage or await correct payment for underpaid orders.  If you are unsure of any aspect, please email or phone and ask.  Failing that, send ample payment, and any excess will be refunded.

Online ordering:  UK customers may make their purchase by credit or debit card or bank transfer using PayPal.  Non-UK customers, please see below.

PayPal should allow you to order with minimal fuss, and PayPal membership is well worth having for convenient and secure payments to online sellers, eBay auctions, and for your further purchases of Old Jake's Gravy Saviour!  Be sure to remember which email address you've used to open the account, so you can be sent a password reminder if necessary.  Just occasionally customers inform me of a problem using PayPal, so reports of how these issues were resolved would be appreciated.  If your first card isn't accepted, it's best to try again in a few hours, rather than try another card there and then.  If you still have a problem, you should delete the account you've attempted to set up, and start afresh.

Orders funded by Bank Transfer (an eCheque in PayPal-speak) will be delayed by a week or two for the payment to clear.  Banks quite regularly block such payments, no doubt to counter "phishing" scams.

If you are having your order sent to a relative or friend and would like a slip enclosed saying who it's from, please leave a note in the "Message to Seller (Optional)" box on the PayPal page, before clicking the "Pay" button.

Larger orders (e.g. ten or more tubs) may be sent by courier, so please leave a contact telephone number in the "Message to Seller (Optional)" box on the PayPal page.  This is necessary for booking the courier.  Orders to be sent to two or more addresses should be placed individually e.g. two tubs each to three addresses is priced as three lots of two, not as six tubs to one address, and should be placed as a separate PayPal transaction for each recipient.

Please note that if paying by credit or debit card, your payment is completed as soon as you have clicked the "Pay" button on the PayPal page:  I have not taken payment from your card account (you have offered it), and nor do I have any knowledge of your account details.  If you change your mind about your order, please get in touch so a refund can be arranged.

Non-expedited orders are placed in a queue and at peak times you should allow 28 days for delivery.  Even this cannot be guaranteed, but any problems with production or dispatch (unless I should be very unwell or have a computer problem) will be noted in the highlighted section above.  I do aim to dispatch promptly, and you should receive a notification via PayPal after your order has been posted, but please allow three weeks from the posting date before assuming a package may have been lost in the mail.

To order by credit card, or Switch or Solo debit cards via PayPal, select the number of tubs of the product(s) required and then choose the postage option below.  Clicking the price button will take you to a secure PayPal page for payment processing.

Right-ho, take a firm grip on that mouse...

PayPal send me a confirmation email on completion of your payment, so please disregard the request above, to those ordering by post, for your address and order details, unless you particularly want to let me know about some aspect of your order. 

International orders may be paid for by bank transfer or other means in UK currency only.  The PayPal payment buttons above should handle the currency conversion for you and allow payment by credit or debit card.  Please email:  jake@oldjake.co.uk if you have any queries.  International orders are treated as expedited, and sent as soon as possible.

Wholesale inquiries are welcome.  Please email:  jake@oldjake.co.uk (or `phone 01572 787676) with details of the number of 250g packs you would be interested in.  If you are a personal customer who would like to buy the product locally, please suggest it to the proprietor of your favourite shop.

Stockists:  it's best to check availability before travelling far, but Gravy Saviour and in several cases the Stronger Stuff may be found at the following shops:

Mark's Family Butchers (was Knapp's) of Sherrard Street, Melton Mowbray (Tel.  01664 565 594, closes at 4pm on Wednesdays.)
Regular deliveries of both products.
 
M A Hoare of Billesdon, Leicestershire.
Both products delivered 15^th November.
 
The Pork Shop, 57A Churchgate, Loughb