Cheese omelette

There have been centuries of debate about how to cook the perfect omelette. For me, it boils down to keeping it small and cooking it fast: the general rule is about 45 seconds to 1 minute per egg. French omelettes should never be flipped like pancakes to cook on the second side. Instead they are folded into thirds; they will then finish cooking in their own heat in the time it takes to get them to the table.

• Break the eggs into a bowl, add the cheese, the milk if using, and some salt and pepper and mix very roughly with a fork.
• Heat a small, heavy frying pan. Add a large knob of butter and wait for it to foam, but not brown. Pour in the mixture and for the first 10 seconds move it around with a wooden spoon or a spatula, as you would for scrambled eggs, until the eggs just begin to set. Then let it cook over a medium heat without stirring, gently pulling the sides away from the edge of the pan into the centre to let any liquid egg run from the centre to the empty edge.
• After a minute or two, it should be cooked but still slightly shiny and runny on top. Fold one edge into the middle and then fold the opposite edge on top of that – in effect folding the whole thing into thirds. Slide on to a plate, scatter over herbs, if you like, and eat immediately.
• More omelette ideas :
• Meat or fish leftovers :Finely shredded or diced cooked meat or fish, or crumbled bacon, can be added to the omelette mixture once you’ve stopped stirring and the eggs are cooking. Scatter chopped herbs over the omelette to serve.
• Leftover vegetables :Dice leftover cooked vegetables finely and add to the mix at the start. The rule here is that there are no rules. Grated ends of cheese are good with the vegetables.
• Canned tuna :This is lovely crumbled into the eggs once they are cooking, with a little very finely chopped shallot or onion and chopped parsley. Omit the cheese.Store-cupboard ingredients A few capers, a chopped anchovy fillet, sliced artichoke hearts, or Bottled Roasted Peppers or Dried Tomatoes  are all delicious in a simple omelette, added once the eggs are beginning to cook.
• Leftover potatoes :Make a faux tortilla by slicing and frying a few leftover potatoes first. Add a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard to the egg mixture and then drop the potatoes into the centre of the omelette just before it is cooked.
• After Christmas :Diced turkey is very good with a few rinsed capers and sliced or diced mozzarella. Add them all to the pan once the eggs are beginning to cook.
• Scrambled eggs: Scrambled eggs are also a great way of using up leftover chicken, fish or even vegetables. Cut them small and stir into scrambled eggs when they are just set.