“A favourite quick supper dish. It has to be proper sourdough, good butter, a kick of tarragon and a splash of cream. I give all mushrooms a little wash in cold running water and I don’t find they soak up water and become soggy. Some say to use a brush, but I have tried for years and cannot remove all the bits of the forest floor. Toast your bread in a toaster if you like but I love the extra flavour of pan-fried bread in butter or bacon fat.”

Serves 1

Prep time 10 minutes; cooking time: 7 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 slice of good sourdough

100g ceps, lightly washed and sliced

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

A few fronds of tarragon, chopped

1 tablespoon of curly parsley, finely chopped

1.5 tablespoon of butter

1 tablespoon of cold-pressed rapeseed oil

25ml double cream

A knob of butter or bacon fat to fry the sourdough, optional

A few watercress leaves

A splash of Madeira, optional

Good salt and pepper

METHOD

Heat the oil and a tablespoon of butter in a medium-sized frying pan and fry the chopped shallot. It will take a minute or two to soften - don’t colour the shallot. 

Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. 

Add the mushrooms to the pan along with the remaining butter. Cook for a couple of minutes - toss the contents in the pan if you can. 

Add the cream, herbs and seasoning. Taste and add a splash of madeira if you fancy. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are done and check the seasoning. 

Serve on a slice of sourdough, toasted on a chargrill or pan-fried in butter or bacon fat. Dress with a few watercress leaves and serve.