What is your idea of comfort food?

Pizza? Chips? A nice big vat of warming beef stew? Mashed potato? Perhaps a thick slab of bubbling cheese on toast, or maybe a creamy fish pie. It should probably involve carbs of some description, and most likely meat and/or dairy too. Sausages and mash; a hearty steak and kidney pie; a roast chicken.

These things are all well and good, but if you want to make them yourself (and let’s face it, they’ll always be better that way), they take time. You can’t satisfy a roast chicken craving in ten minutes. You might not have the ingredients in the fridge. Even if you do, it’ll take a good couple of hours before you can tuck into that meal of dreams.

I’m lucky, you see, because my ultimate comfort food has none of these problems. I always have the ingredients in the house, and it takes no more than five minutes to prepare. Scrambled eggs on toast soothe my soul like no other food. For some people this is breakfast; for me, it’s the ultimate comfort dinner or lunch for one, the perfect treat after a busy day or week cooking more involved and sophisticated fare. 

The other night I had a scrambled egg craving, but also felt like I needed more vitamins in my life. I decided to solve both problems at once by topping a plate of scrambled eggs on toast with sliced avocado. I had a hunch that the creamy texture of the avocado would work wonderfully with the buttery eggs, and I wasn’t wrong. Although this takes minutes and is ridiculously easy, it’s also a very healthy take on comfort food, eggs and avocados both being very nutritious. Add a little fresh thyme and a generous amount of seasoning, and you have a tasty and super-comforting twist on the classic scrambled eggs.

Avocado scrambled eggs (serves 1):

2 thick slices of sourdough bread

2 large eggs

2 tbsp milk

A few leaves of fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

A large knob of butter, plus extra for the toast

Half a ripe avocado, sliced

Put the bread in the toaster. Beat the eggs in a small bowl with the milk, thyme, and some salt and pepper. In a small non-stick saucepan, heat the knob of butter until foaming. Add the eggs, then cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are just scrambled. Meanwhile, toast the bread.

Butter the bread and spoon the eggs over the top. Top with the slices of avocado, sprinkle with a little extra salt, and serve.