E P I S O D E S

It's best to prepare the béchamel sauce first. Take a saucepan and place onto a medium heat. Add the 40g of butter and allow to melt and begin to sizzle. 

Once sizzling, add in 40g of plain flour and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a thick, gummy paste. Keep the heat on medium, and keep stirring the paste around the pan for about a minute, to toast the raw flavour out of the flour. 

Measure out 400ml of whole-fat milk in a jug. Gently pour splashes of milk into the flour-butter paste, stirring the whole time. At first it will seize up, but it will gradually loosen up and become creamier with each addition of milk. 

Once all of the milk is added, it will be quite runny. Maintain a medium heat, and gently stir with a wood spoon or a whisk - making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan - until it thickens to a white sauce with a consistency off thick yoghurt, then turn off the heat Add a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of black pepper and  1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and leave the pan to sit and cool.

Preheat your oven's grill to high heat. Also, heat a frying pan on medium heat and add the beef dripping or vegetable oil (or if using a deep fat fryer, preheat to 180C) and allow to melt.

Place the chicken breasts one at a time into a sandwich bag or simply sandwich between two layers of cling film. Take a rolling pin and hit the chicken breasts until they flatten and become larger in area, yet approximately 1cm thick.

Prepare 3 wide bowls or dishes for breading the chicken. To Dish 1, add 100g plain flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion granules,  1/2 teaspoon garlic granules and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne/chilli powder. To Dish 2, add 2 eggs and lightly whisk. To Dish 3, add the breadcrumbs. 

Take each flattened chicken breast and coat in flour (Dish 1), then coat in beaten egg (Dish 2) and then coat in breadcrumbs (Dish 3). Really press onto the chicken cutlets when they're in the breadcrumbs to pack the breadcrumbs onto the chicken. Leave each piece of breaded chicken on a strip of kitchen foil until read to cook.

When the beef dripping/oil is hot you are born to fry (you can use a thermometer to get it to 180C if cooking on the hob, or just heat the oil until it just begins to smoke, then reduce the heat slightly and it's ready). Place the breaded chicken into the frying pan and fry for 3 minutes per side. If using a deep fat fryer, deep fry for 4 minutes in total. When cooked, remove the chicken and place onto foil-lined baking tray.

Take the béchamel sauce from earlier and pour over the fried chicken pieces, trying not to drown the chicken or dribble it down all of the sides. Grate over 150g of mature cheddar cheese and place the whole thing under a high-heated grill. Leave for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is molten and slightly coloured.