About our gravy
Quality is our number one priority at Loetje. We maintain our 45-year-old Loetje recipe for steak with gravy to ensure this. The ingredients of our iconic gravy are an essential part of it, which is why we have invested to preserve the margarine we have been using for 45 years.
Gravy for our tenderloin steak
45 years ago, Loetje started cooking with Blue Band margarine. In 2018, the decision was made to move away from Blue Band as it became a plant-based margarine and to develop our own margarine recipe with Remia. Our own margarine contains the animal proteins needed for the foamy Loetje gravy. Our tenderloin steaks do not use additives, and we use margarine only as the base for the gravy. To avoid dependence on a single producer, in 2022 we sought a second supplier. Therefore, in addition to our own recipe, we started using Solo margarine, which meets the same quality standards as 45 years ago.
Gravy for our plant-based steak
For our plant-based steak, we use the same margarine as for our tenderloin steak, which contains a milk component. The gravy for the plant-based steak is not yet plant-based, but it is vegetarian. Since the plant-based steak does not release animal juices that provide flavor to the gravy, we use a powder for the plain and garlic gravy of the plant-based steak to achieve the same flavor. This powder is based on natural ingredients such as tomato, carrot and bell pepper. We have not yet found a plant-based alternative for the butter we use in our gravy that has te same ‘foaming’ effect and meets our requirements. There is still too much impact on the flavor, affecting the experience. We are actively searching for the perfect plant-based gravy as well.
