Chef's Special with Oxfork's Chloe Horner and Jess Gervers

When we first started the café we tried lots of different variations on scrambled eggs, this is the one we settled on and have been using for the last couple of years. If you want to completely replicate the dish, use Willowbrook Organic eggs (available at most Oxford farmers markets) and Oxford Sourdough (again available at farmers Markets, but also at the Natural Bread Co’s shops in Eynsham, Woodstock and Oxford).

RECIPE

Serves 2

For the tomatoes: 
* 4 tomatoes 
* 1 clove garlic 
* 8 basil leaves 
* salt and pepper 
* Olive oil

For the mushrooms: 
* 2 handfuls of chestnut mushrooms 
* Large knob of butter 
* 2 sprigs of thyme 
* salt and pepper

For the eggs: 
* Knob of butter 
* 4 tbsp double cream 
* Salt and pepper 
* 4 eggs

To serve
* 2-4 slices buttered sourdough toast

Preheat your oven to 120°c First make the tomatoes: This is a great recipe to turn cheap or under-ripe tomatoes into a delicious accompaniment. We also sometimes leave them in the oven a little longer and use them like semi-dried tomatoes, or they’re equally delicious in salsas, salads and soups.

These are absolutely fine to make in advance and reheat and can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days.

Halve the tomatoes around the circumference and put on a baking sheet.

Slice the garlic and pop one or two slithers on each tomato.

Add a leaf of basil to each tomato.

Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil Pop the tomatoes in the oven for about 90 minutes, or until they’re soft and slightly wrinkling around the edges.

Make the mushrooms: These are the same mushrooms we use on all the breakfasts at Oxfork. We tried lots of different types, but ended up with chestnut because of their more robust texture, good looks and great taste. Like the tomaotes these can be made in advance and heated through to serve. Make sure the mushrooms are clean by wiping off any debris using a clean, dry cloth.

Put them in a small tray suitable for the oven.

Add the butter, pull the leaves off the thyme and add that too and season with salt and pepper.

Add to the same oven as the tomatoes and cook for 25 minutes, stirring halfway to make sure everything is well coated in the yummy, mushroomy, buttery juices.

Make the scrambled eggs: We like quite a loose scramble, but the beauty of this recipe is that it gives you a little time to reach just the right consistency for you.

Put the butter, cream, salt and pepper into a saucepan (a small wok-type pan is ideal for this, or failing that any saucepan) and place over a low heat.

Once the butter has melted, take off the heat and crack in the eggs.

Beat the eggs into the mix and put back on to a low heat.

Using a spatula or wooden spoon slowly stir the egg mixture, the key is to keep the mixture moving so that you don’t end up with a big lump of egg on the bottom, more a nice consistent slop.

Keep on the heat until the eggs reach your favourite consistency Quickly put the eggs on to a plate so that they don’t continue to cook in the pan and serve up with the mushrooms, tomatoes and toast.