Poached beef & noodles (Gyudon)

Heat the grill to high. Arrange the bacon on a baking tray lined with foil. Cook for 5-7 mins until crisp, then turn off the grill but leave the tray inside to keep warm.

Mix the self-raising flour, baking powder, golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt together in a large bowl. Create a well in the centre with the back of a spoon, then add the eggs, 25g melted butter and  milk.

Whisk together either with a balloon whisk or electric hand whisk until smooth, then pour into a jug.

Heat a small knob of butter and 1 tsp of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter looks frothy, pour in rounds of the batter, approximately 8cm wide. Make sure you don’t put the pancakes too close together as they will spread during cooking. Cook the pancakes on one side for about 1-2 mins or until lots of tiny bubbles start to appear on the surface, and the surface starts to look a bit set and drying out. Wait for the bubbles and surface to look right rather than relying on the timing, but if the pancake seems to be taking too long, check the underside to make sure it’s not burning or if it’s not cooking fast enough, adjust the heat. Flip the pancakes over and cook for a further minute, then transfer to the oven with the bacon to keep warm. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

Arrange the toppings you have chosen on a board and set the table, then add the pancakes and bacon just before serving. You can put extra toppings in bowls or replenish the board as you need to.