BEST LAID EGGS

Extraordinary eggs

“An egg is always an adventure; the next one may be different”, said Oscar Wilde. There’s no doubt that eggs are a constant adventure at Clarence Court in Lacock who offer the widest range of eggs sold in Britain, from Burford Brown and Old Cotswold Legbar to ostrich and quail. Their traditional breed birds are free to roam from dawn to dusk and enjoy a maize enriched diet formulated to include wheat, sunflower, seashell, soya, paprika and marigold. Here we look at a selection of the eggs on offer at Clarence Court and they treat us to some eggy recipes so we can celebrate this Easter with real eggs, as well as chocolate ones

1 Ostrich eggs

Available from April to September, these eggs weigh in at nearly 2kg each – one ostrich egg is roughly equivalent to 24 large hen’s eggs for cooking in recipes. With a distinctive light flavour and texture they are ideal for cooking.

2 Rhea eggs

In season from March to June, Rhea eggs are lighter and fluffier than hen’s eggs but have a stronger flavour. Rheas are often called the American ostrich so their eggs are large and good to share.

3 Emu eggs

Emu eggs are milder in taste compared to a hen egg and they are much fluffier in texture. They boast a high ratio of yolk to white, allowing impressive results when used for baking. Emus lay their eggs throughout winter so the eggs are available from November to May.

4 Goose eggs Goose eggs are mouth-wateringly rich and creamy and if you softboil them they’re perfect with shavings of truffles or fresh, seasonal asparagus soldiers. One goose egg is the equivalent to 2.5 medium hen’s eggs.

5Turkey eggs

Clarence Court turkey eggs are a luxurious treat with their creamy big yolks. Turkey’s eggs, unlike Turkey meat, are a rarity because they simply do not produce very many eggs each year and, as they are big birds, required a lot of feed. Available from April to June.

6 Cornish Blues

With lovely light-greenish blue coloured shells, Cornish Blue duck eggs taste as beautiful as they look. The creamy yolks lend themselves fabulously to bakes and cakes, and are simply delicious as a morning treat fried or boiled.

7 Leghorn White eggs Leghorn White eggs have beautiful bright white shells. Once cracked, the signature vibrant golden yolks stand proud. The golden yolk when soft boiled against a bright white shell will leave your mouth water and the creamy taste won’t disappoint.

8Old Cotswold Legbar eggs

Clarence Court Old Cotswold Legbar eggs have a distinctive pale blue shell. Its deceivingly delicate outer shell colour hides a rich creamy yolk with a dense flavour. Old Cotswold Legbar eggs have plump and upstanding yolks and are delicious when fried.

9 Braddock White Duck eggs From their translucent, ivory white eggshells to the light, creamy yolks, these duck eggs bring a new meaning to ‘go large’ for recipes. These eggs are made for exceptionally light baking. Some people once they have had duck eggs never go back to hens’ eggs for breakfast.

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10 Burford Brown eggs

Burford Brown eggs have a hard, glossy, deep brown shell that’s good for poaching and boiling as they retain their farm freshness. They have a delicious, dense golden yolk and a rich flavour.

11 Bantam eggs As small hens, Bantams produce small eggs. The intense dark yolk is richer, so is perfect for scrambling and making quiche. The ratio of eggs yolk to egg white is much higher than a standard hen’s egg at 50/50, giving the egg a much deeper colour.

12 Pullet eggs

Laid by young birds, Pullet eggs are much smaller in size, around a third of the size of older hen eggs. Prized for their high yolk to white ratio by chefs, the wonderfully rich flavour and strikingly deep coloured yolks make for the perfect mayonnaise, pastry or crème brulée.

13 Guinea Fowl eggs

Available from spring to later summer, Guinea Fowl eggs have a thicker, oatmeal-coloured shell and a rich flavoursome yolk. Originally native to Africa, these eggs are a delicate and elegant treat.

14 Pheasant eggs

In season from April to June, these eggs are delicious. They have deep yellow yolks, larger than a quail egg, but about half the size of a regular hen’s egg. Their shells are a sophisticated olive green and brown.

15 Quail eggs

Quail eggs are a quarter of the size of hen’s eggs. Their small speckled shells hold delicate little eggs with pale yolks which need just 30 seconds to soft boil. Although fiddly to shell they are worth the bother to make wonderful bite-sized scotch eggs.

A range of Clarence Court eggs are available from Waitrose, or to find your nearest stockist of Burford Browns, Old Cotswold Legbar or Leghorn Whites, put your postcode in the store locator on the

Clarence Court website; clarencecourt.co.uk ➲

ABOVE, from top: Burford Brown hens at Clarence Court and Braddock White ducks roaming freely

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Easy Stove-top Eggs Spring Salad

A quick lunch or supper that can help use up what’s left in your fridge. Serve with fresh crusty bread.

Prep time: 10 minutes; cook time: 35 minutes; serves 2

INGREDIENTS 350g new potatoes 100g chorizo, sliced 1 red onion, sliced 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and sliced ½ red pepper, deseeded and sliced 4 hen’s eggs A few sprigs fresh parsley, leaves picked and chopped

METHOD 1 Place a saucepan of water on to boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes or until nearly cooked through. Drain and place to one side. Place the chorizo in a frying pan and fry for 5 minutes on a medium heat or until starting to crisp and release oil. Transfer to a bowl and place to one side leaving the oil in the pan.

2 Add the onion and peppers to the pan and fry on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until softened. Add the cooked potatoes and fry for a further 5 minutes until start to brown. Return the chorizo to the pan and stir everything together.

3 Make an indent in the vegetables for each egg and crack them into the gaps. Place a lid on the pan and allow to cook for 5 minutes or until the white is cooked. Scatter over the parsley, season with pepper and serve.for the other slices of bread.

Take ham and egg a little further with the addition of crunchy British asparagus, griddled gem lettuce and a caper dressing. Frying ham may sound a little odd but it works and it’s all topped off with a glorious soft boiled hen’s egg.

Prep time: 5 minutes; cook time: 15 minutes; serves 1

INGREDIENTS 150g British asparagus spears 1 large hen’s egg 1 piece good quality ham ½ little gem lettuce 1 teaspoon baby capers 1 tablespoon cold pressed extra virgin rape seed oil 1 teaspoon cider vinegar Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Handful of rocket

METHOD 1 Place a large frying pan or griddle pan on a high heat. Place a small pan of water on to boil. Click the woody stem from the asparagus and griddle the spears for about 5–7 minutes until just soft. Boil the egg to your liking, cool and peel.

2 When the asparagus is nearly cooked, add the ham slice and fry until golden and crisp. Add the lettuce to the pan cut side down and cook this too for around 2–3 minutes.

3 To make the dressing, mix the capers, vinegar and oil in a large bowl and season. Add the rocket, cooked asparagus and little gem and toss well. Transfer to a plate and top with the egg and ham, and spoon over any remaining dressing.

Easter Hot Cross Buns

Classic Easter treats that are so worth the time to make. Plump mixed fruit and spice spiked buns are coated in an apricot jam glaze and perfect toasted with lots of butter.

Prep time: 5 minutes; cook time: 15 minutes; serves 1

INGREDIENTS 500g strong white bread flour 10g fine salt 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground mixed spice 1 orange zest, finely grated 1 lemon zest, finely grated 300ml semi skimmed milk 60g unsalted butter 10g fast action yeast 1 large hen’s egg, beaten 150g sultanas 50g dried cranberries 50g chopped mixed candied peel Vegetable or flavourless oil 75g plain flour 100g Bonne Maman Apricot Conserve

METHOD 1 Place the strong white bread flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the salt, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, orange and lemon zest.

Make a well in the centre.

2 Gently heat the milk until lightly steaming and stir in the butter until melted. Pour the milk and melted butter into a jug, check that it’s lukewarm and then stir in the yeast. Mix until frothy then pour into the well and add the beaten egg. Mix with a dinner knife at first bringing the flour slowly into the milk mixture and forming a rough dough.

3 Transfer to a freestanding mixer with a dough hook, spoon in the mixed fruit and knead to a smooth dough for about 5 – 10 minutes. Tip into a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with clingfilm. Place in a warm cupboard or by a radiator for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.

4 Meanwhile line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. When the dough is ready turn out on to a clean lightly floured work surface and ‘knock back’ divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls, using a weighing scale helps make sure they are all even.

Place 6 balls on each tray fairly close to each other. Place each tray in a large food safe bag (large roasting bags work well) and secure with an elastic band making sure the bag doesn’t touch the buns. Place the trays back in the warm place and allow the buns to double in size (about 45 minutes).

5 Pre-heat the oven to 200c/ Gas Mark 7. Mix the flour with 75ml water and spoon the paste into a small icing or piping bag.

When the buns are ready, remove them from the bags and pipe a cross over each bun. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the trays halfway.

6 Meanwhile, melt the jam in a pan and pass through a sieve.

Once the buns are cooked remove from the oven, brush over the glaze and allow to cool a little. Serve fresh or toasted with butter.

You can freeze the buns, just cool completely and glaze after defrosting and reheating. n