Comté fondue with dippers

SERVES 4

For the fondue

2tsp cornflour

150ml skimmed milk

½tsp Dijon mustard freshly grated nutmeg

60g Comté, finely diced 1tbsp chives, finely snipped 2tsp grated parmesan

For the dippers

300g finger-thick green and white asparagus

12 quails’ eggs, boiled for 2½ minutes, shelled and halved celery salt

2 chunks sourdough bread

In advance of making the fondue, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

Trim the asparagus spears where they become visibly woody, and peel the stalk within 1-2cm at the start of the tip.

Mix the cornflour with 2tbsp skimmed milk in a small bowl.

Heat the grill. Bring the remaining milk to the boil in a non-stick pan, add the cornflour mixture and stir continuously until the sauce thickens, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the mustard and season with nutmeg. Stir in the Comté and chives, spread over the base of 2 small, shallow ovenproof dishes, then scatter over the parmesan and pop under the grill for 5 minutes until golden.

Put the asparagus into the pan of boiling water at the same time as grilling the fondue and cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain the spears in a colander.

Serve the fondue with the asparagus, quails’ eggs, celery salt and bread for scooping.