The most significant thing about this breakfast is that I managed to get 6 eggs to the table with every yolk intact. This is not always the case on Sunday mornings. Yay me.

• joining the eggs, which were from the pastured hens at Millport Dairy Farm and here dusted with freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, a pinch of crushed dried red Espelette pepper (a French basque variety that has largely replaced black pepper there over the last 4 or 5 centuries) from Alewife Farm, and some dried Sicilian fennel pollen from Buon Italia in the Chelsea Market, was 4 thick slices of bacon from pastured pigs, also at Millport Dairy Farm; 3 halved Backyard Farms Maine ‘cocktail tomatoes’ from Chelsea Whole Foods Market that were warmed in a little bit of some very good Trader unfiltered Joe’s Italian Reserve extra virgin olive oil and scattered with one small chopped Norwich Meadows Farm scallion and a little home grown basil from Barry’s Artsy colleague Becca; local (regional) Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’, also from Whole Foods Market, on a small plate to the side, for the toast; micro red mustard; lightly toasted slices from a loaf of Gran Daisy Pugliese bread from Foragers Market
• the music was Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s 1670  ‘Leçons du Vendredy Sainct’ (Passages for Ash Wednesday), René Jacobs conducting Concerto Vocale