Moules à la marinière

• 2 lbs (1 kg) mussels, cleaned and bearded
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• ½ pt (¼ litre) dry white wine (add more if you like)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 oz (25 g) butter

1. Put the butter into the bottom of a large saucepan. Add the mussels, followed by everything else.
2. Cover, bring to the boil and cook on a relatively high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring gently a couple of times, until all the mussels that are going to open have opened.
3. Serve with the juice poured over the top.

These days you can get ready-cleaned mussels, which makes this proper fast food. If you're still hungry after the mussels have all gone, carefully decant the juice left in the pot into a clean pan, leaving a good couple of spoonsful of silt behind, heat through, add a glug or two of cream, and serve with pasta.