This certainly isn’t a recipe of my own invention. What I do here is give you all the tricks on how to make the perfect carbonara. Watch the video then make it for yourself.

The traditional meat to use in Italy is Guanciale. Guancia means cheek in Italian, this is the whole jowl and has much more fat and is far less salty than pancetta. You can buy it ready chopped from some supermarkets but I would recommend buying a whole piece as it keeps for months. There are plenty of Italian charcuterie suppliers on line, find one local to you.

I should point out that if you prefer something less calorific, using pancetta reduces this recipe to 690 calories.

Heat a wide pan over a medium low heat, drop in the guanciale or pancetta and let it cook gently until all the fat has rendered. Once the fat is rendered, turn the heat off.

Whisk the egg yolks, whole eggs, pinch of salt and pepper with 3/4 of the parmesan and set aside.

Cook the spaghetti to the pack instructions in a large pan of salted water. Before draining, reserve a cup of cooking water. Drain in a colander and tip the hot spaghetti into the pan with the guanciale or pancetta. Using tongs, give everything a good stir to coat with the oil.

Stir in the egg mixture and coat the spaghetti thoroughly. Serve immediately in warm bowls with an extra sprinkle of parmesan.