Store unused egg yolks in a bowl and cover with cold water; they will keep in the fridge for up to two days. Here are some handy ways to avoid wasting them…

Baking

Follow your usual shortcrust pastry recipe, but replace one tablespoon of the liquid with an egg yolk to get a richer pastry with a golden colour. You can also use egg yolks to glaze tart cases, scones, breads or any other baked goods, resulting in a deeper colour than traditional egg wash.

Spaghetti carbonara

Combine 3 egg yolks, 3 tbsp cream and 100g grated Parmesan in a bowl. In a pan, toss enough cooked spaghetti for four people with some olive oil and crispy fried pancetta. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the egg yolk mixture, stirring quickly to coat the pasta without scrambling the eggs. Stir in a little chopped parsley and some black pepper, then serve sprinkled with extra grated Parmesan.

Mayonnaise

Make your own mayonnaise. In a bowl, whisk together 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp mustard, ½ tsp vinegar and some salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in 230ml extra-virgin olive oil.

Burgers

Use egg yolks in the place of whole eggs for binding your hamburger mixture. Use roughly two egg yolks per whole egg required by the recipe.

Custard

Make a classic crème anglaise using your leftover egg yolks. Whisk 4 egg yolks and 60g caster sugar in a bowl until pale. Boil 250ml cream with ½ a vanilla pod. Gradually add the hot cream to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return to a medium heat and cook the custard until it coats the back of the spoon. Strain the custard into a clean bowl and cover with cling film; ensure the cling film touches the whole surface of the custard, as this will prevent a skin forming.