Carefully grate just the yellow zest from the lemons, avoiding the white pith. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice.

Add the lemon zest, juice, sugar, butter and eggs to a heatproof bowl or to a large, heavy-based pan.

Place the bowl on top of a simmering pan or boiling water, or place the pan on a low heat, gently whisking as it the butter melts and sugar dissolves.

When the butter has melted and there's a little steam coming from the mixture, exchange the whisk for a wooden spoon. Keep stirring as the mixture slowly thickens. It takes a while, but the curd is ready when it sits on a plate and doesn't run. If you want to use the lemon curd as a cake filling, cook it for a little long as it will need to be stiff.

Sieve the curd into a clean bowl, then transfer to clean jars. Store in the fridge. Spread on toast or pancakes or use as a filling with whipped cream for a Victoria sponge cake. We also love it as a dessert, stirred through Greek yogurt.