absolutely perfect yorkshire puddings

Sunday mornings can present something of a problem with the day's meal times - up too late and breakfast slowly meanders ever close to lunch, knocking tea (dinner for some) further into the evening - shifting bed time for youngest boy into 'wobbly' time. Get up too early and Sunday will be broken. Miss breakfast and tempers are short. It is tricky. A chicken sits at the bottom of the fridge, ready to roast but I am thinking about the Yorkshire puddings. Perfect Yorkshire puds - fit to be eaten as starter, main and dessert.

On a different note - we'll be seeing Adam Ant tonight, now well into his 50s. Let's hope he can remember the words to Stand and Deliver.

Ingredients:

makes 12 individual yorkshires or one large one

• 4 oz plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 pint of milk
• sunflower oil

1. crack the eggs into the flour and salt, in a basin, and beat with a fork
2. when the batter is reasonably smooth add the milk slowly beating all the time
3. when the fork looks fairly clean, switch to a balloon whisk and whisk briskly
4. set aside for half an hour or so
5. add a dessert spoon of oil to each 'cup' in a muffin tin and heat in a very hot oven until smoking hot
6. give the batter another whisk
7. use a ladle to fill each 'cup' about half way with batter - basically sharing the mixture between 12 puddings (alternatively add oil to a large tin and pour all the mixture in when hot)
8. cook for about 20 minutes trying to resist the urge to open the oven door to check
9. use a bunt knife to twist the finished puddings out and drain on a wire rack