I promised this last night and I just had a meeting cancelled, and its Friday, and this will only take a few minutes, and I’ve got P on my mind so this seems like the perfect time to explain how to make the best rice you have ever tasted. Seriously seriously good rice. Just give it a go and tell me that I’m not right – I challenge you…

I’m going to do this in proportions – I’ll leave the quantities up to you although to be honest there is absolutely nothing wrong with cooking too much rice – in fact you should try to cook too much rice – soo many things can be done with leftover rice, so just go crazy. Saying that, I reckon that half a mug of rice should just about do for one person…

Anyway, measure out how much rice you want and put it into a saucepan. Make sure it’s plain Basmati rice – no other rice will work for this recipe. Then pour in cold water from the tap and clean the rice by agitating it with your fingers. Pour out most of the water (while keeping the rice in the pan – it’s easier than it sounds) and refill with fresh water. Keep doing this until the water stops getting cloudy (this is you removing the excess starch from the rice), then drain off the remaining water.

Now add fresh water – one and a half times as much water as you had rice (that doesn’t read particularly well – so if you had a cup of rice, add a cup and a half of water…)

Add a LARGE knob of butter, a large sprinkle of salt, give it a good stir and put it on a medium heat on the hob. Uncovered. Once it comes to the boil, watch it closely.

As soon as the water level is just above the rice, put the saucepan lid, wrapped in a clean tea towel, firmly onto the pan. You need to make a tight seal so steam can’t escape. Now turn the heat to its lowest setting. Seriously – find the smallest ring on your hob and turn it down as far as it will go.

Now leave it for 40 minutes. Yes I know, but just give it a try. And don’t be tempted to have a peek. 40 minutes, all closed up and then open the lid to the best rice you ever had. It will have a golden crunchy crust on the bottom and the rest will be light and fluffy. Break up the crunchy bottom, give it all a little mix and serve it up. Oh yes…