Devilled eggs

You will need to make these in good time, preferably a day ahead.

Makes 24 halves Prep 20 mins plus at least 3 hrs soaking Cook 10 mins

QQQ12 eggs red, orange, green or black food colouring, or a mixture 1-4 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp mayonnaise, plus extra if the eggs are large 1 small red pepper, finely chopped a few tarragon sprigs, finely chopped (optional) paprika, for sprinkling

1 Put the eggs in a single layer in a pan and add enough water to cover them by 2cm. Bring to the boil, then cover, turn off the heat and leave for 12 mins. Drain, cool completely in very cold water, then drain again.

2 Put the food colourings into separate bowls or containers that will hold the eggs, using 1 tsp food colouring per bowl, plus 700ml water and 1 tbsp vinegar each. Gently tap the eggs all over using a spoon or knife to crack the shells without removing them. Divide the cracked eggs between the bowls, submerge in the liquid and leave to soak for at least 3 hrs, or ideally overnight. If you can’t submerge them fully, turn the eggs every hour so they stain evenly.

3 Drain, rinse and peel the eggs, then halve them and pop the yolks into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, adding a little more if you need to in order to create a slightly stiff paste, then mix in 3 tbsp of the chopped pepper and the tarragon, if using. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the whites, then sprinkle over the remaining pepper and the paprika.

PER HALF 88 kcals, fat 8g, saturates 1g, carbs 0.3g, sugars 0.3g,

fibre 0, protein 4g, salt 0.1g