Creamed Spinach

Put a third of the spinach into a large dry pan over high heat, with only the water still clinging to the leaves.

Turn it with tongs for 60-90 seconds, until every leaf has collapsed and gone dark.

Tip the wilted spinach into a colander.

Wilt the remaining spinach in two more batches the same way.

Do not force the whole kilo in at once. The bottom layer overcooks to a slimy grey while the leaves on top are still raw, and there is no evening it out afterwards.

Run cold water over the spinach in the colander until it is cool enough to handle, which also stops it cooking.

Squeeze it in handfuls, as hard as you can, until no more water runs and each handful is a tight ball about the size of a golf ball.

Squeeze harder than feels reasonable. A kilo of spinach holds close to a mugful of water, and every drop left in it thins the cream to a grey puddle in the base of the dish.

Pull the balls apart and chop the spinach coarsely.

Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium-low heat.

Cook the shallot for 4-5 minutes, until it is soft and translucent with no colour on it.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until it smells sweet.

Pour in the cream and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until it has reduced by about a third and coats the back of a spoon.

Fold in the chopped spinach.

Warm it through for 2-3 minutes, keeping the pan below a proper boil. Spinach is acidic enough to split cream that has already been reduced, and long heat takes the leaves from dark green to army khaki.

Season with the nutmeg, the 4g of fine salt and the ground white peppercorns.

Stir in the lemon juice off the heat, in the last moment before it goes to the table. Added any earlier, the acid dulls the colour it is meant to lift.

Serve hot, straight from the pan.