Omelette Arnold Bennett

To begin the recipe, stud half an onion with a few cloves. Pour the milk into a pan and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and the studded onion. Heat the milk gently over a low heat to just below boiling point

Lower the haddock into the milk, skin-side down. Cover the haddock with a dampened piece of greaseproof paper and poach gently for about 4 minutes, or until the fish is just beginning to show signs of flaking when pressed

Remove the haddock from the milk with a slotted spoon, reserving the milk. When the haddock is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and any bones and flake into pieces

Strain the warm milk into a bowl, measure out 250ml and discard the rest. Pour the strained infused 250ml of milk into a clean small pan and return to the heat

In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. Pour the infused milk into this pan, whisking constantly until you have a smooth thick béchamel sauce. Remove from the heat

In a large bowl, whisk the double cream until soft peaks form. Mix equal quantities of the whipped cream, hollandaise (you can buy the hollandaise pre-made or make it yourself) and the béchamel and then gently fold together and season

Warm 4 12cm oven proof dishes in the oven on low heat

Lightly oil an 18-20cm omelette pan and place over a medium to high heat. Add a knob of butter to the pan. Break the eggs into a bowl, season and beat with a fork. When the butter starts to foam, pour in the eggs, stirring continually and tilting the pan from side to side until the eggs set on the bottom and the top is soft and creamy

Remove the pan from the heat then add the flaked haddock to the omelette. Distribute evenly into the warmed dishes, then spoon a thin layer of the sauce over the omelette (enough to just cover the fish) and place under the grill for a few minutes until golden brown. Repeat for each omelette

To serve, grate parmesan over the glazed omelette and garnish with chives and sea salt. Serve immediately