Close your eyes and picture this. It’s Sunday morning. You’re in bed and the sun through the window tells you it’s some time past 10am but not yet midday. You have finished reading the main section of the Sunday paper, and now you are thinking about tackling the crossword. Second thoughts, you lie back and put the radio on and listen to Desert Island Discs. Meanwhile, the air is filled with a distinct and lingering fragrance of sausage. It’s nearly ready. Another fifteen minutes and it will be time to poach those eggs.

Ready

• Good quality English sausages

Set

• Cast-iron skillet
• Heat diffuser (if you have one)

Go

1. Set the alarm for an hour or two ahead of brunch (or breakfast).
2. If you have a diffuser, place your skillet upon it and set the heat below to its lowest setting.
3. Place the sausages in the pan.
4. Go back to bed.
5. Come back after a while (you decide) and turn them. (Timing between turning depends on the sausages, the pan, the stove… too many variables to account for here.)
6. Eventually, your banger will be a dark, dark brown but the inside will remain succulent and moist.

What you should know

You have to have this with eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes. Not negotiable (except maybe the tomatoes). Plenty of strong English mustard too.