In October, when popular radio host, Ross Solly, announced he was leaving his post as 666 ABC Canberra Breakfast Presenter, there was widespread mourning across the Capital’s listening audience. Rumour was it would take quite a bit to fill Solly’s shoes.

Fast forward four months, and the Breakfast baton has been taken up by experienced hand, Philip Clark…and after just a few weeks, he’s already proving a good fit. We caught up with him for two of his favourite activities – cooking and conversation!

Back in November, when Sonia Bowditch wrote about what your favourite radio station says about you, our social media channels were overrun with readers flying the 666 flag…so we thought it was only polite to get to know the ‘new bloke’.

So, who is Philip Clark? Well, he was born in Tasmania, and actually lived in Canberra for 13 years from 1974 to 1987 – suffice to say, the place has changed a little in the last 17 years (particularly the ‘hipster haven’ of Braddon, where Philip is currently living).

Prior to joining the ABC, Philip worked as a lawyer, a ministerial staffer and as a senior journalist. After several years working in commercial radio, he returned to the ABC as a regular voice on various ABC Radio stations – and now he’s back in Canberra, where his two daughters are studying at ANU.

He’s a nice guy – naturally inquisitive, which is always a handy trait in a journalist; warm and friendly, but quite obviously intelligent. And he cooks a mean Poached Eggs with Tomato, Goats Cheese and Avocado on Sourdough Toast. Get the recipe below, and watch the video to find out more about Philip!

Philip Clark’s Poached Eggs with Tomato, Goats Cheese and Avocado on Sourdough Toast

(serves two)

what you need

Four free range eggs (the fresher the better)
Six baby truss tomatoes
One ripe avocado
One jar of Meredith Dairy Marinated Goats Cheese
One loaf of sourdough bread (we used Baker’s Delight)
Fresh chives and basil
Sea salt and black pepper

what to do

Cut a couple of pieces of toast per person and get them ready to toast. Philip says the key to this dish is timing!

Fill a saucepan of water almost to the brim, and bring it to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low-medium: water should be just simmering, with small bubbles rising from the base of pan and small ripples across the top of the water.

Using a wooden spoon, stir simmering water in one direction to create a whirlpool (this will help to give your poached eggs a neat shape).

Gently, gently crack each eggs into the centre of whirlpool, as close to water as possible. Cook for 2-3 minutes for a semi-soft yolk or 3-4 minutes for a firm-set yolk, without stirring.

While the eggs are cooking, get your toast on; finely chop some herbs and slice your tomatoes. When the toast is ready, spread with some avocado and some goats cheese.

As soon as the eggs are ready, remove from the water with a slotted spoon and pop them on top of the toast. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper and finish with the fresh herbs.

Enjoy!