We had clams again on Saturday! This because I bought a few more than we could eat on Friday. I put them in a bowl of water and kept them in the fridge overnight. Three had opened itself a little so we threw them away, but 12 of them were fine, and Christopher made them into this lovely starter. It was a bit fiddly openening the shells with a knife, but worth it.

This was also the christening of the lovely escargot dishes I got for my birthday. It is definitely time for the escargots next!

Clams au gratin, serves 2

12 clams

butter

garlic

chopped parsley

breadcrumbs

Open the clams carfully with a small knife. Keep one half of each shell with the clam on it. Place these on a dish. Melt butter, add garlic and parsley and spoon ot over the clams. Place some breadcrumbs on top and pop the dish under the grill or in a hot oven (225C or so) until the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp and the clams are cooked. This only takes a few minutes. Serve with some nice bread.