Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7

1. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half

2. Strip the thyme leaves from their stems and discard the stems.      Tip: Hold the top of the thyme sprigs firmly and slide your fingers down their lengths to easily remove the leaves

3. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and portobello mushrooms to a baking tray and top everything with the thyme leaves and a drizzle of rapeseed oil. Put the tray in the oven for 10-15 min or until softened – these are your thyme-roasted mushrooms & tomatoes

4. While the mushrooms and tomatoes are in the oven, top, tail then grate the courgette[s]. Trim, then slice the spring onions finely as well.

5. Add the grated courgette to the middle of a clean tea towel (or kitchen paper) and bring the four corners together to form a ball, twist the ball and squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can

6. Add the grated courgette to a bowl with most of the sliced spring onion (save a little for garnish!), the grated Italian hard cheese, cornflour and 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] flour. Crack in 1 [2] egg[s], season with a pinch of salt and pepper and give everything a good mix up – this is your fritter mixture.

7. Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid) with a drizzle of rapeseed oil over medium heat. Once hot, spoon the fritter mixture into the pan, roughly divided into 4 [8] and cook for 3 min on each side or until golden and cooked through (save the pan for the next step!) – these are your cheesy courgette fritters.    Tip: Cooking for 4? You may need to do this in batches!

8. Transfer the cheesy courgette fritters to an oven-proof dish and put them in the oven to keep warm.

9. Return the fritter pan to a medium-low heat with a drizzle of rapeseed oil. Once hot, crack the remaining eggs into the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for 2-3 min or until done to your liking.    Tip: Give your eggs a little shake before you crack for perfectly centred yolks!

10. Layer the cheesy courgette fritters on top of one another. Serve the thyme-roasted mushrooms & tomatoes and a fried egg to the side. Garnish with the remaining sliced spring onion and a grind of pepper