Regular readers of this recipe rolodex may be quite surprised to learn that I’ve never made my own mayonnaise. One more reading of Nigel Slater’s Appetitenagged at me to do so, so I did. I was wary of the whole splitting thing but luckily did not encounter any of the emulsion demons. I gathered about half a dozen different recipes and picked and choosed my favourite parts of all of them. How many eggs? Which oil? To lemon or not to lemon? What I ended up with was very tasty (and perfect for the roast chicken baguette I paired it with) but a touch harsh on the extra virgin olive oil. My next will definitely get less olive oil and a little more grapeseed oil.

Mayonnaise:

2 egg yolks

½ teaspoon English mustard

100ml grapeseed oil

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Your strongest wrist

Give the yolks and mustard a few beats with a pinch of salt to begin firming everything up. Add the grapeseed oil a drip at a time, whisking vigorously – don’t stop. After about half of it’s gone in, you can move to a trickle.

Once the grapeseed oil is gone add the olive oil and continue to whisk. You may not need all the olive oil, check the consistency as you go.

Once it reaches the desired, thickened, wobbly consistency check for seasoning. A little lemon juice for acidity is also welcome here.