• 100 g (4 oz) caster sugar
• 100 g (4 oz) self-raising flour
• pinch of salt, about half a coffee spoon
• 2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 150 g (5 oz) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 230½C/450½F/gas mark 8. Butter and flour madeleine moulds or bun tins.

Sift together the dry ingredients. Beat in the eggs, and then mix in the melted butter. Pour the batter – and the mixture really is quite liquid – into the prepared moulds, and bake in the top half of the oven for 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove from the oven once the madeleines are golden, well risen, and with the characteristic ‘bump’ in the middle. The recipe multiplies well, certainly by up to ten; I learned the recipe using a kilo of flour.

If you wish, you can add, with the eggs, lemon zest, or some vanilla seeds. I have also used a little orange-flower water and grated orange zest. Alternatively, you can use vanilla sugar.