Eggs mayonnaise

Ingredients 5 eggs, black pepper Mayonnaise: 4 eggs, lemon juice/white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, 1 pint vegetable oil, mustard

In Paris, there are very passionate about the traditional recipe for eggs mayonnaise, so much so that there exists an organisation known as l'Association de sauvegarde de l'oeuf mayonnaise. In this recipe the eggs are halved, smothered in a glorious mustardy mayonnaise and served on a bed of lettuce. It is always freshly made, served at room temperature - never chilled. To me this is absolute perfection but as you will see, this recipe is for an egg mayonnaise mixture suitable for a sandwich.

1) Hard boil 5 eggs (9-10 minutes) and run under the cold tap to cool down to room temperature.

2) To make your own mayonnaise - separate 4 egg yolks from the whites (discard the whites) and put in a large clean bowl to whisk (or use the whisk attachment on your blender if you have one). Add the lemon juice/vinegar, salt and pepper and a touch of mustard and whisk thoroughly, adding the oil ONE DROP at a time until the mayonnaise is thick and glossy. You don't have to use all the oil - I like it quite thick but if it's too thick you can always add a little warm water to thin it back down again.

3) Slice the eggs in half, then roughly dice the eggs. Using a spatula, stir the mayonnaise in gently, scraping the excess from the bowl with the spatula as you stir. You will notice the yolk turning the mayonnaise a gorgeous buttercup yellow. Stir in 1-2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper and serve.