Baked beans with chorizo

Fortnum’s use Heinz in this dish. Don’t look so shocked. Fortnum & Mason were the first in Britain, back in 1886, to sell Mr Heinz’s famed Baked Beans. And, in 2007, there was a special tin commissioned, clad in Fortnum’s eau-de-nil, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the store. This really is a dish to knock up in moments – the perfect lazy supper or weekend breakfast. A recipe that takes the everyday and makes it great. Serve with French bread. Diced streaky bacon makes a great alternative to the chorizo or, for vegetarians, you can substitute batons of fried courgette. SERVES 2 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small shallot, finely diced 120g chorizo, cut into slices 5mm thick 1 x 415g tin of baked beans 30g butter, diced 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 20g Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the shallot and fry gently until softened. Add the chorizo and fry until caramelised and slightly crisp.

Heat the baked beans in a separate pan. Stir in the butter a few pieces at a time, then add the shallot and the oily juices from cooking the chorizo. Finally add the parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Serve the beans in shallow bowls with the chorizo on top. At Fortnum & Mason, the sandwich is an art taken every bit as seriously as any éclair, scone or terrine, and given its own cool, quiet section of the kitchen. Quite rightly, too. For those whose tastes veer towards the savoury (like me), it is the highlight of afternoon tea in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon. The secret? Trim, uniform soldiers, perfect execution, and signature fillings: cucumber on white, smoked salmon on brown, roast ham on wholemeal, egg mayo in poppy seed and – on granary – Coronation chicken (see recipe opposite).