Soft-boiled duck egg with bacon & asparagus soldiers

• asparagus↗8

  spears (about 300g), woody ends discarded

• long thin slices rustic bread4

  (preferably sourdough)

• rashers smoked streaky bacon↗8

  or pancetta

• duck eggs↗4

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat your grill to high. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus spears and discard. Cut the bread into 12 soldiers, a little shorter than the asparagus.

2. 2

   Place a spear onto each soldier and wrap tightly with a rasher of bacon. Place on a baking tray, season and grill for 15 mins or until the bacon is crisp.

3. 3

   Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and simmer the duck eggs for about 7 mins, to get a runny yolk and a cooked white. Serve immediately with the warm soldiers for dipping.