Hanwell Flight, Grand Union Canal

The proper way to cook an omelette is to separate the white and yolks, whisk the white to a froth and then fold it together with the beaten yolk and add to a lightly greased hot pan. When the underside is sufficiently cooked to peel from the pan, place the pan beneath a warm grill until the top rises. I used to do them for my friend on my caravan calor gas stove, but frankly it's not worth the effort just for oneself.

My mother never did any of that. When the beaten yolk+white went in the frying pan it quickly solidified in a THIN layer which she then pushed sideways with a spatula - it folded up easily into multiple, concertina-layers - and still-liquid egg then flowed into the vacated space in the pan, and in turn was added to the concertina until all was solid. When I try, the liquid forms a dense layer too thick to fold and all I can do is flip it over in its entirety.

Neither thick nor fluffy - just thin and foldable.