(for two as a main course, four as a starter)

2 kg (4 lbs) Mussels
110g (4 oz.) streaky rashers (unsmoked)
1 Tablespoon sunflower oil
1 medium onion
4 tablespoons Crème Fraiche
Black Pepper

Scrub the mussels and beard them.
(Always do this just before you cook them as they will die and spoil once bearded)
(to beard just with your thumb and a knife cut the fibres which are hanging out of the shell, it takes just a second to do each one once you get used to it.
Don’t run these beards down the sink as they will block your drain)

Chop the bacon into dice and cook in a pan with the oil until crisp.
Drain off the pan with a slotted spoon.
Dice and cook the onion in the fat in the pan gently until soft.
Add the crème fraiche to the pan and take off the heat.

Put the mussels into a large lidded pan with a half cup of water.
Put on the lid and put on a high heat.
Shake and stir the mussels in the pan for a few minutes until all the mussels have opened.
Line a large sieve or colander with a cloth and strain the mussels through this, keeping the mussel liquor.
Remove the top shell from the mussels and put them somewhere warm in their bottom shells.
Add the mussel juice and the bacon to the pan with the onions and boil fast for a few minutes.
Put the mussels out into soup bowls and spoon over the sauce.
Serve with spoons and plenty of bread to soak up the juices.