Boil the eggs: put the eggs in a pot and cover with tap water. Add a bit of vinegar or a generous amount of salt right on the eggs. When the water starts to boil, start the timer for exactly five minutes — enough for a creamy yolk that's just borderline soft. If you like harder eggs, add one minute. But NO longer: the eggs will become stiff, dry and tasteless — or worse, blue.

After five or six minutes take the pot straight under running cold water and tilt it just enough to let the hot water pour out. Cooling the eggs stops them cooking and makes them easy to peel, so I usually do it straight away.

Boil the potatoes: with young potatoes you don't need to peel them, but you can if you wish. Add them to boiling salted water and cook for 15 minutes, until soft when poked with a sharp knife. Drain and cool with cold water.

Assemble the salad: put the lettuce on the plate and everything else on top. Add some dressing and seasoning to your liking.