I love boiled eggs. I like mine soft, when they’re only just beginning to set. I must enjoy them so much because of the nostalgia that a boiled egg and soldiers invokes.

It can be difficult to boil an egg: a minute too soon and it’s still clear and runny, a minute too long and it will be hard. An easy and foolproof way to boil an egg perfectly is to put it in the oven at 63 degrees Celsius for an hour or more. For this method to work, you only have to ensure is that the temperature is between 60 and 65 degrees Celsius and that it is in the oven for longer than an hour. Apparently, you can leave it in the oven for several hours without anything going awry, but I’m too impatient and an hour is about as long as I’m willing to wait!

If you don’t have the time, boil a litre of water in the kettle and then transfer to a saucepan on the stove. Carefully place a 50 gram egg, straight from the fridge, into the water. Keep the water hot, but not boiling for four and a half minutes. Five minutes if you like your yolks set just a little bit. Remove and refresh under cold water. Congratulations! You’ve boiled an egg successfully!

Serve in cute vintage egg cups with soldier toast, salt and pepper.

For extra credit:

Brush your toast with truffle oil

Or Lescure

Add a bit of aged balsamic vinegar

Use fresh and chewy artisanal bread like rye or spelt

Add a pinch of fresh chopped chives, sage and/or thyme