For successful scrambled eggs, you need a gentle heat and a light hand. The aim is to achieve large flakes of tender, soft-cooked egg so take care, as stirring the egg quickly or vigorously will break up the flakes.
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat well with a fork to break up the yolk. Add the milk and some seasoning. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a low to medium heat. Before it starts to foam, add the beaten egg.
Allow the egg to begin to cook on the base of the pan, then carefully drag a spoon through, lifting the cooked egg from the bottom of the pan in large flakes. You may need to adjust the heat a little; the cooking should be very gentle.
Continue in this way until all the egg has been lifted. Once most of the egg is cooked, remove the pan from the heat; there should be enough heat in the saucepan to finish cooking the egg.
When ready, the scrambled egg should still be soft, with a little slightly underdone egg among the flakes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately, on toast if you like.
Scrambled eggs with chilli and coriander: Halfway through cooking, add ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced, and 2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal. At the end of cooking, stir through 2–3 tablespoons coriander leaves, roughly torn, and their finely chopped stalks.
Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon: Stir through 2–3 slices of smoked salmon, torn into pieces, at the end of cooking.
Scrambled eggs with chives: Add 1–2 tablespoons finely chopped chives to the egg mixture before cooking.
Chinese scrambled eggs with prawns and garlic chives: Omit the salt and add ½ teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and ½ teaspoon sesame oil to the beaten eggs. Heat 1 tablespoon each of vegetable and sesame oil in a wok, add 150 g peeled, deveined raw tiger prawns and stir-fry until just cooked, about 2 minutes. Add 30 g Chinese garlic chives, cut into 2 cm pieces, then the beaten egg. Allow the egg to set on the base of the wok, then draw a spoon through it, lifting the cooked egg from the bottom of the wok in large flakes. Continue until the egg is all cooked, but still soft and creamy in texture. Spoon onto 2 plates, scatter over some finely shredded spring onion and serve with oyster sauce on the side.