Then you turn the fish over and do exactly the same again and you have four fillets. Using a flexible knife, pare the flesh away either side of the spine, from the middle to the edge, and that will give you two quarter fillets. Now make a cut around the head, and down the spine in the middle of the fish, to the tail. Do the same thing to the other side and then pull the skin off, over the head in one bit. Start to lift the skin by pushing the thumb up the spine and out to either side, thereby getting a reasonable amount of skin loose, and then gently pull the skin off going up the fish. You make a little knick in the tail and pick up a piece of skin – some people put salt on it for a better grip. Dover Sole is the only flat fish you have to skin because its skin is thick.

If you have a reasonably sized Dover Sole and you want to do it in quarter fillets, first skin the fish. They should be crispy on the outside and flavourful on the inside.”Denies Blais is the founding father of Belgo restaurantsHow to fillet a fish Philip Diamond”I personally feel that small flat fish should be left whole. Then leave the chips to cool off completely, before cranking up the heat and re-frying them at 180C for three or four, five minutes max. Put a clipping from a vanilla pod or a little piece of nutmeg in the oil – it gives you a sweet baked aroma. Obviously, vegetable oil is probably healthier, but beef dripping is excellent In the old days they used horse fat.

Soak in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes to wash off starch, drain and dry with a cloth Then you blanch them in oil at a temperature of 150C. If the chip is too small it will be overcooked, too big and it will taste floury. Cut each chip to one centimetre on each side and six centimetres long. First make sure the potato is a quality one and we recommend the Bintje, a Dutch potato, which you should be able to get from a good vegetable stand The Bintje keeps its flavour and its shape when you fry it.

The best way to eat poached eggs is on buttered toast with a hollandaise on top – nice and rich.”Tom Aikens is the chef-patron of Pied a Terre and the youngest chef in Britain to win two Michelin starsHow to make great chips Denis Blais”Frite-making is part of Belgian folklore: they say all new mothers in Belgium have square nipples so they can train their children to eat frites! The secret to Belgian chips is the double-frying technique. You can reheat the egg by putting it back into simmering water for a maximum of a minute before you serve. If you are not going to serve it straight away, plonk in ice-cold water and use later. After three minutes, the white should be firm and the yolk will be soft to touch, which means it is still runny Lift the egg out with a slotted spoon. With the cup touching the water, pour the egg gently into the water, so there isn’t a big splash of egg white and you get a nice oval shape to your poached egg. The water should be simmering – boiling water will break up the egg. Crack your egg into a cup: the egg has to be very fresh otherwise the white will start to separate from the yolk and it won’t work.

The sauce comes to the boil within minutes, bang wallop you’re done.” Albert Roux is the owner of Le GavrocheHow to poach an egg Tom Aikens”You need a deep pan of water with a dash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice: the acid will react with the protein in the egg and make it hold together better. I make my roux, let it cool, then boil my milk or whatever and add it to the roux quickly and whisk vigorously. You don’t want them to be traumatised, you want them to explode gently like a kiss! I prefer to work on a cold roux, it’s faster. The fragments of flour, which is the thickening agent of the sauce, react very badly. What is important is, if you’ve got a hot roux, you put cold liquid on it, if you have a cold roux you put hot liquid on it Hot liquid on a hot roux becomes lumpy and elastic. Back in the old days during my apprenticeship, we used to make sauce espagnole with it, but not many people use it any more.