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About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

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ISSUE NO. 22
May 2026
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Culture

Sauces to Transform Your Prison Meals

White sauce, cheese sauce, tartare and more.

By
Mark

Mark writes from a prison in VIC.

Theo Grazzolara for Unsplash

Basic White Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 30g butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbs flour (sifted)

Method:

  1. Melt the butter, add flour, stir over low heat for 1 minute to give slight colour.
  2. Remove from heat, add milk slowly and stirring continuously (if it starts to go lumpy stop milk and stir hard till dissolved).
  3. Return to heat, add milk till finished. Stir till thickened and starts to boil.
  4. Boil for 3 mins and serve.

Cheese Sauce

For vegetables, chicken, beef.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white sauce
  • ½ cup tasty cheese
  • 1 tbs parmesan cheese
  • a pinch ofnutmeg

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients in saucepan, mix on low heat and serve.

Tartare Sauce

For fish!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of mayonnaise
  • 30g capers if available (chopped)
  • 60g gherkins (fine diced)
  • Parsley (chopped)

Method:

  1. Mix all ingredients together and serve.
  2. Store in sealed jar for 1 month.

Mornay Sauce

For pasta and vegetables.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white sauce
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 3 tbs grated cheese

Method:

  1. Blend 1 Tbs of white sauce into egg with wooden spoon
  2. Mix remaining sauce with cheese, stir till smooth
  3. Heat on low – do not boil, serve

Sauce Velouté

Ingredients:

  • 60g butter
  • ½ cup flour (sifted)
  • 2½ cups chicken stock

Method:

  1. Melt butter in saucepan, add flour, stir over medium heat
  2. Remove from heat, add stock, stirring until smooth
  3. Return to heat and stir till thickened
  4. Allow to boil then reduce the heat. Simmer for 10–15 min.

Basic White Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 30g butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbs flour (sifted)

Method:

  1. Melt the butter, add flour, stir over low heat for 1 minute to give slight colour.
  2. Remove from heat, add milk slowly and stirring continuously (if it starts to go lumpy stop milk and stir hard till dissolved).
  3. Return to heat, add milk till finished. Stir till thickened and starts to boil.
  4. Boil for 3 mins and serve.

Cheese Sauce

For vegetables, chicken, beef.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white sauce
  • ½ cup tasty cheese
  • 1 tbs parmesan cheese
  • a pinch ofnutmeg

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients in saucepan, mix on low heat and serve.

Tartare Sauce

For fish!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of mayonnaise
  • 30g capers if available (chopped)
  • 60g gherkins (fine diced)
  • Parsley (chopped)

Method:

  1. Mix all ingredients together and serve.
  2. Store in sealed jar for 1 month.

Mornay Sauce

For pasta and vegetables.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup white sauce
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 3 tbs grated cheese

Method:

  1. Blend 1 Tbs of white sauce into egg with wooden spoon
  2. Mix remaining sauce with cheese, stir till smooth
  3. Heat on low – do not boil, serve

Sauce Velouté

Ingredients:

  • 60g butter
  • ½ cup flour (sifted)
  • 2½ cups chicken stock

Method:

  1. Melt butter in saucepan, add flour, stir over medium heat
  2. Remove from heat, add stock, stirring until smooth
  3. Return to heat and stir till thickened
  4. Allow to boil then reduce the heat. Simmer for 10–15 min.

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Without About Time, I don’t know where I would be – Mark, from a prison in Victoria

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