Pull the pan off the heat and leave to cool for 1 or 2 minutes. Using a coil whisk, whisk in the egg yolks and add the butter bit by bit over a very low heat, whisking all the time. As soon as one ...

They were there to compete in the National Irish Steak Challenge, and I was invited to be a judge along with 30 others including master butchers, meat scientists, industry professionals and chefs.

I wanted to learn how to prepare for disaster. It turned out I needed skills, yes — but the first thing was learning how to ...