Cleavers Chilli

A finishing chilli tang cannot disguise this appalling morsel barely comestible. You can see the use of seasoning and all the elements dotted in the Cumberland sausage meat, which rattles in its thinly applied shell of breadcrumbs like the yellow gift ovum in a Kinder Egg. The (free range?) egg takes up most of the inside, it’s colouring taking on a form of dishwater and the grey ring of over-boiling bleeds out into the once white albumen to amalgamate and form clouded grey. The yolk has formed into shrivelled wax clumps that stick to your teeth and give you breathe like a zombie.

One to avoid.

Price: £1.95

Overall: 1/5

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• Cleavers (forevereggsploring.com)

Randalls

There’s certainly a rustic appearance about the Randalls Butchers Scotch egg. It’s meaty with a thick, rugged rim of breadrumbs. Rough and crumbly. The sausage meat appears to be unseasoned. There are no flecks of colour. No black dots of pepper or green strands of parsley. You cannot scent fresh thyme or spring onion, but rather plain, flat sausage meat which cushions the centre egg. The egg itself is fine. Just fine. It’s not over-boiled and has a rich, vibrant orange yolk.

This is a run of the meal production. A basic Scotch egg. Faultless but by no means exciting.

Price: £

Overall: 2/5

Ben’s Canteen

Who claims precedence over a recipe? One who devised the creation or the establishment it homes? Well this is Dave Ahern’s third conception of the famed meaty morsel – at Ben’s Canteen in Clapham – and it’s his best. A triumph!

Yes, it’s over-complicated; interweaving as many ingredients as there are ideas in Ahern’s head, but the resulting orb is astonishing. Consider the list of ingredients: the sausage meat is prepped to the chef’s own unique spec, then cooked in a finished egg with cubed black pudding and baked bean flavourings. The breadcrumbs are made from dried mushrooms and bacon, which become powder-like, and is then added to fresh breadcrumbs (blitzed fresh white bread), rolled twice, and a final third time before cooking (deep-fried and then finished in the oven).

It’s an ideal size. A real feat when all the components of a full English breakfast are included, and rolled up inside. There’s a scorched bacon scent when cut and the meat reveals all those smells which make the full English such an staple. The breadcrumbs are strong and flavoursome, and there’s the faint taste of baked beans against black pudding. The centre egg is perfectly executed; warm and runny, soaking into the meat. Easily one of the best Scotch eggs in town, and perhaps the most moreish, so just as well it’s available throughout the day.

Price: £5.00
Overall: 5/5

Duck Scotch eggs with chilli flakes & coriander

Here’s my recipe for Duck Scotch eggs with chilli & coriander sausage meat. It’s a crowd pleaser! Follow the recipe and you’ll have hot, tasty sausage meat coating a creamy egg with a glowing yellow runny yolk. The breadcrumbs will be golden and you’ll have that pleasing crunch when bitten into. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Duck egg(s)
• 275g/10oz sausage meat (I used pork and herb sausages – already seasoned with white pepper and black pepper)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 spring onion, very finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chilli flakes
• 125g/4oz plain flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 free-range egg, beaten
• 125g/4oz breadcrumbs (I used Paxo Golden Breadcrumbs)
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Preparation method:

1. Place the eggs (still in their shells) in a pan of cold salted water.
2. Place over a high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for exactly nine minutes.
3. Drain and cool the eggs under cold running water, then peel. This is always the tricky part, and takes me the longest.
4. Mix the sausage meat with parsley, spring onion and add some chilli flakes in a bowl. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Divide the sausage meat mixture into four and flatten each (like thin burgers) on a clean surface (about 12.5cm/5in long and 7.5cm/3in).
6. Place the seasoned flour onto a plate, then dredge each boiled egg in the flour. This will help the sausage meat stick to the egg
7. Place an egg on each of the sausage ovals, then wrap the sausage meat around each egg. Make sure the coating is smooth and completely covers each egg. Sometimes it helps to add more sausage meat and pinch together with your finger tips.
8. Dip each sausage meat-coated egg in the beaten egg, rolling to coat completely, then dip and roll into the breadcrumbs to completely cover.
9. Heat the oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pan. Test if ready by dropping in a pinch of breadcrumbs, and they should sizzle and turn brown. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
10. Carefully place each scotch egg into the hot oil and deep-fry for 8-10 minutes, until golden and crisp and the sausage meat is completely cooked.
11. Carefully remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
12. Leave for a minute and serve cool.

Read other Scotch egg recipes

Wallace & Co.

Old Pudding Face’s Wallace & Co. in Putney supplies everything from homemade sausage rolls to gingerbread men and pastries. I was delighted to see the piled balls of Scotch eggs on the counter when I entered, and ordered immediately.

It arrived (as above), already cut into quarters. Panko breadcrumbs are replaced with flour and breadcrumbs, and I’m happy to report that the pleasing crunch remains. The sausage meat is warm and spectacled with black pudding and apple. They’re welcome flavours; the small black pudding spots give a deeper, rustic texture, while apple adds a little sweetness to the mix.

The egg is large with a bright yellow glow. It’s creamy, although rather average when compared with the efforts of the meat. In all, it’s an odd entry. The typical breadcrumb casing has been modified and the sausage seasoning has been adapted. It works, but there’s a little bit too much attention to detail for me, and it’s always a shame – when a golden orb is served to you warm and fresh – not to cut yourself and release that warm, sticky, sense-stealing aroma of hot meat… and miss out on a runny yolk.

Price: £3.00

Overall: 3.5/5

Cleavers

Another big entry with this cricket ball-sized Scotch egg from Cleavers butchers in Wandsworth Town. When cut down the centre the two halves are almost as big as some single Scotch eggs I’ve tried. There is a distinct separation between the breadcrumbs and the meat (Cumberland sausage), and the egg rattles in its casing. The well-seasoned, thick rim of sausage meat falls from the breadcrumbs and onto the plate. It is not bound to the panko wrapping and the assembly is broken.

The egg is free range and creamy. The yolk has a darker colouring than I’ve seen before, almost apricot. It’s good; no satisfying crunch or warm, runny yolk, however the Cumberland sausage is rich and for the price it’s one hell of a snack.

Price: £1.95

Overall: 3/5

Walls

This is the type of petrol station pick-up that saps your energy. The 1950s package design screams disappointment, gluten, sulphates and saturated fat. The inferior wrapping glows from the buzzing refrigerator; cerulean blue and claret. Walls mark it with their logo and stamp: ‘Proper Food Since 1786.’ Only forty-eight years after the invention of the Scotch egg – so they claim to be quick off the mark.

And after all this. All the belittling and word-bashing, it’s actually okay. First thoughts are that it’s as expected: seasoned pork sausage meat wrapped around a whole hard boiled egg and coated in breadcrumbs.

Yes the breadcrumbs are crumbling, fine and thinly-applied. They’re dank and uninspiring, but surprisingly the sausage meat is rather good, peppered and flavoursome. There’s a decent amount (about 1cm) cushioning the centre egg. Also in the seasoning, according to the ingredients listing, is: sage, rapeseed oil, and herb extracts.

The egg is without that daunting green/blue highlight and has a bright yellow core. Apart from that, it’s traditionally set and without excitement.

Price: £1.89

Overall: 2.5/5

The Durrell Arms

I stumbled on this Scotch egg rather by accident. I wasn’t aware they were served at The Durrell Arms. Looking around the room they seemed to be popular, a good sign for a pub at £4.00 each. That’s more expensive than The Ship, The Alexandra, The Bull & Last and Michelin-rated the Harwood Arms and The Hinds Head. This must be a very fine Scotch egg to receive all those orders, I thought. I was excited.

It arrived having already been cut in half, so the satisfying slice and great unveil had been taken away from me. A scraggy breadcrumb casing was paper-thin and the sausage meat was as pink as my thumb and very substandard. The egg was fine but a stiff yolk meant there was no oozing or creamy richness.

The meat was hot but tasted under seasoned, it was without depth of flavour and the humdrum egg did nothing to lift the taste. A side of good quality chutney was able to disguise the very poor texture, but surely this wasn’t its intended use. A disaster.

Price: £4.00
Overall: 1/5

Court, Coffee & Catering

This is a rather straightforward Scotch egg with a thick rim of sausage meat surrounding a creamy egg and deep yellow yolk. There is little or no seasoning which is a shame. A sprinkle of pepper would lift the flavour and add bite, which is lacking.

The egg is perfectly boiled with no signs of that depressing grey ring. The breadcrumbs appear to have been thickly applied (perhaps two coats?), creating a solid outer casing and a larger overall shape.

Price: £1.00

Rating: 2/5

ASDA

I picked this up for 18p. The Use By date wasn’t even on that particular day. 18p for a Scotch egg! I’ve paid close to a tenner in some places.

The ASDA Lincolnshire Scotch egg is part of a 3 for £1 deal (40p each). The seasoned sausage meat contains salt, pepper, onion, sage and “Spices” which according to the packaging include: ground black pepper, coriander, paprika, ginger, and nutmeg.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen paprika, ginger and nutmeg used in Scotch egg seasoning? The result is a persistent aftertaste of spice. Dotted with black pepper you can just make out the paprika’s fiery lick. The problem with this is that it overpowers the egg and the sausage meat becomes dry and over-seasoned.

It’s certainly not bad, in fact it was surprisingly good (a taste of the credit crunch), however both egg, vibrant yellow yolk and breadcrumbs are over-powered by spices and this is damaging to the quality of the other ingredients.

Price: 18p

Overall: 2/5