Put a pan of water on to boil ready to poach the egg. Heat a frying pan and cook the lardons until brown and crisp.
Turn the heat down a little and add the shallots to the pan, stir and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the lentils to the pan along with the pepper and a dash of water to loosen.
While that heats through, add a dash of white wine vinegar (optional) to the gently simmering egg pan. Reduce the heat and use a spoon to swirl the water into a whirlpool. Crack the egg into the centre of the whirlpool and leave to cook for 2-3 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Spoon the warm lentils into a bowl, top with the poached egg and a good grind of black pepper and add a few sprigs of rocket.
Note: if you can’t find Merchant Gourmet Tomatoey French Lentils, use any ready to eat Merchant Gourmet pulses and add a few chopped cherry tomatoes.
.jpeg)
