1. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan. Once sizzling, add the mushrooms and fry for just a min or two before adding the spinach. Cook on a high heat for about 1 min, allowing the leaves to wilt and soften. Drain the leaves and mushrooms in a sieve or small colander set over a bowl, pressing them gently in the sieve to release the juices (the juices will provide the base for the sauce, so don''t discard them). Keep warm to one side.

2. Heat the oil in a separate clean frying pan. When very hot, add the scallops. Saut? for a couple of mins without disturbing them at all, then add a knob of butter to the pan. Turn the scallops, season with salt and pepper, then baste with the sizzling butter. Continue to cook for a further couple of mins until the scallops are ready.

3. While saut?ing the scallops, return the saved spinach juices to the pan the spinach and mushrooms were cooked in, then whisk in the remaining knob of butter to create the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Now finish in style: Arrange spinach and mushrooms on plates or in bowls, sit the scallops on top, then spoon the nutmeg spinach sauce around.

Adding flavours A squeeze of lemon or lime juice can be added to the butter sauce. Or wholegrain mustard; just ?-1 tsp, can be whisked into the sauce.

Cooking scallops Don''t pre-season the scallops before cooking as the salt draws the moisture out of them and gives them a tight texture. It is best to season with salt once they have been sealed in the pan.