The real Spaghetti Carbonara

Place a large pot with water on high heat and bring to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and spaghetti pasta to the boiling water and cook until ‘al dente’ – refer to the cooking time specified in pasta packet instructions.

Place the egg yolks into a bowl. Add the Pecorino cheese and mix well with a fork. Add a tablespoon (20ml) of cooking water into the egg mixture and mix well until soft in texture.

Meanwhile heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the lard/butter and stir in the diced Guanciale/Pancetta and cook until golden and crisp.

Drain the pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons (40ml/1.4 fl oz) of the pasta cooking liquid. Add the pasta into the frying pan and toss well over the heat to soak up the lovely flavour, then remove from the heat.

After 1 minutes, add a splash or all the cooking water to liquefy the sauce and toss well, then season with freshly ground black pepper. Then pour in the egg mixture – the hot frying pan will help to cook the egg gently, rather than scrambling it. Toss well until the Spaghetti carbonara is lovely and glossy. Serve with a grating of Pecorino cheese and an extra twist of freshly ground black pepper on top – Buon appetito.