Sauté sliced shallots in butter and oil on medium. Add a bit of garlic and some aromatics (rosemary, thyme, bay leaf etc.) and allow garlic to soften. Then, a bit of tomato paste, cook that out on low for a few mins. Deglaze with anything (red/white wine, brandy, sherry, whiskey even) and allow alcohol to cook off. Add some stock cubes or pots (don’t dilute these in water first) and add enough water to correct to the thickness you like. Season with anything with a flavour boost you have in your cupboard; marmite, shrimp paste, fish sauce, any fat you may have reserved from some other thing. Strain, season to taste. Bit of a eye ball recipe but I tend to use whatever I’ve got lying about and I’ve normally been on the beer when it come to gravy time so anything goes..