Mary Berry knows all the tips and tricks for mastering cooking techniques for so many foods – one of which is poached eggs.

You might think it’s a doddle to just bubble up some water, but snagging that perfectly shaped poached delight can be a real faff if you’re not bang on with your temperature and timing – one wrong move and you’ve got an eggy mess instead of a delectable breakfast.

But fear not, Mary Berry has spilt the beans on her nifty technique to nail the “perfect oval shape” poached eggs without breaking a sweat.

Dishing the dirt on her go-to approach for a top-notch eggs benedict recipe, Mary claims that it’s all about splashing a bit of vinegar in the boiling pot to get the white to set just ace and hold its bouncy form.

She said: “The secret to a poached egg is boiling water with a dash of vinegar in it.”

All that’s needed is a pan of water cranked up to the boil on the hob, followed by turning down the heat to a gentle simmer and then chucking in a splash of vinegar.

Pop the egg into a ramekin or cup first as it’s easy to slide the egg straight into the pan. Keep the water in a steady twirl then lob in the egg.

Mary advised: “Whirl it around with a whisk and in the very centre drop it in the middle while it is still swirling and it will be a lovely shape.”

Ease the egg into the swirling water and then just let it bubble away to perfection.

Mary advised on the art of poaching eggs: “Don’t panic when first tipping an egg into the poaching water. The egg white will naturally spread out, but it comes together as it cooks, and you can tidy the edges at the end when the cooked egg is draining on kitchen paper.”

Care must be taken to let the poached egg cook for three to four minutes until the egg white has fully set, always watching that the water merely simmers and never boils again.

Mary highlighted a crucial tip: “If the water starts to bubble again, turn it down to stop it from disrupting the egg’s shape.”

After delicately removing the egg from the pot with a slotted spoon and letting it drain on kitchen paper, Mary assures that your efforts will pay off as your poached eggs will “look perfect” and are ready to place on a slice of buttery toast or become part of her indulgent benedict florentine dish.

In her final touch, she exclaimed: “I think it is the perfect breakfast, just to die for!”