CHARLOTTE’S recipe for a breakfast recipe is the perfect way to start your day as the weather takes a turn for the worse and most of us are stuck inside.

This delicious breakfast of eggs benedict serves two and will take about 25 minutes to prepare.

Charlotte, who reached the semi final of this year’s MasterChef, said: “This is my favourite thing on a breakfast menu and this time of year when the weather is a bit miserable and people are stuck inside it’s a good way to start your Saturday or Sunday.

The Leader:

“Eggs Benedict can be made with ham or bacon, personally I prefer bacon, but you can use either and any type of bacon or ham will do. Once you have mastered the hollandaise you just need to replace the bacon with wilted spinach for ‘Eggs Florentine’ or smoked salmon for ‘Eggs Royal’.

“It was this time last year I had poached over 50 eggs in a couple of days in order to practise for one of my dishes on Masterchef and I learnt only way to get perfect poached eggs every time is that they have to be fresh. There are many places in North Wales you can get fresh eggs from with homes and farms even offering honesty boxes on the lanes, these are so much better than any you get in a supermarket. Luckily, our neighbours have their own chickens and kindly share their eggs with us, but I recommend finding your own fresh supplier as you will never look back!”

The Leader:

Ingredients

Hollandaise Sauce

20ml White Wine Vinegar

1 Bay Leaf

5 Peppercorns

120g Unsalted Butter

2 egg yolks

½ Lemon

Eggs Benedict

4 Eggs

2 English Muffins

1 tbsp Chopped Chives

8 Slices Smoked Streaky Bacon

1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar

The Leader:

Method

1. Grill the bacon until it is cooked to your liking and cover with foil and keep warm

2. To make the hollandaise put the butter into a saucepan over a really low heat and leave to melt but not boil. The butter needs to melt so that it separates, and the solids fall to the bottom of the pan. The top part without the solids is known as clarified butter and it’s this part only we will be using

3. Meanwhile put the white wine vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaf into a small saucepan and heat on a medium to high heat until the vinegar had reduced by half

4. Put the egg yolks into a small bowl and give a quick blitz with the hand blender

5. Once the vinegar has reduced, remove the bay leaf and peppercorns and slowly pour it in into the egg yolks whilst continuing to blend with the hand blender (this will test your multi-tasking skills, try and pour the vinegar from a bit of a height so it cools slightly as it falls into the egg yolks)

6. Next pour in the clarified butter using the same technique with the hand blender. Remember to leave the butter solids in the bottom of the saucepan

7. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper, if the hollandaise feels a little thin I tend to put the bowl over the saucepan used to poach the eggs and whisk it to thicken

8. To make the poached eggs, fill a saucepan with the boiling water and add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and put on a high heat to bring to the boil (you can use normal vinegar, but I think it affects the taste, also I never put salt in the poaching water as it can break up the whites)

9. Once the water comes to a fast boil remove it from the heat and crack each egg into the water. I find it easier to put each egg in a shallow bowl before lowering it into the water, as you want it to enter the water gently

10. Put the pan back on the heat but turn the heat off or very low and leave for to poach for 4 minutes, keep an eye on them an move the pan a little if they look like they are sticking to the bottom

11. Whilst the eggs are poaching cut the English muffins in half and toast them

12. To plate butter each half of the muffin, top with the bacon and a poached egg then spoon over the hollandaise sauce, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the chives.