This fluffy, oozy, herby omelette makes a great early Spring lunch or you could save it until the days are warmer and eat it al fresco, with great dollops of roasted garlic mayo.

A note on ingredients: We use Lubcloud Dairy creme fraiche because we love to keep it local, but any good quality creme fraiche will do. Spenwood cheese, made by the Village Maid dairy in Berkshire is (we think!) as close as this country gets to a top quality pecorino. Use parmesan or a good Italian pecorino if Spenwood is not available. Your eggs should always be free range and as fresh as possible for rich, unctuous, egg-y flavour. Accept no alternatives!

Serves 6-8

Melt the butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan Slow fry the shallots until meltingly soft. Remove from pan.

Using a fork, beat the eggs, crème fraiche, black pepper and nutmeg until the mixture is smooth and frothy.

Heat the remaining olive oil in the frying pan. When nice and hot, pour in egg mixture - it should sizzle briefly - and scatter over the herbs, shallots and cheese shavings. Stir lightly to mix through then turn down the heat slightly.

Cook the fritatta over a medium high heat until the edges are just beginning to set then place under a hot grill until the top is nicely browned and just firm. Don't overcook - a frittata is at its best when it retains a good wobble.

Serve immediately with a jumble of fresh green leaves dressed with a peppery extra virgin olive oil. Alternatively, allow to cool slightly in the pan then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before serving.

If serving cold, add a good dollop of homemade roast garlic mayonnaise - watch this space for the recipe!