# Fried eggs?



## gbb (11 Apr 2020)

I'm often disappointed with eggs purchased from a supermarket and have struggled to find some that don't spread that watery white all over the pan. A consistent good egg isn't really something you get at the average supermarket.
local farm eggs would be one source of quality eggs I guess but that's not really an option...any sources of consistently good eggs ,? I'm considering trying some from Waitrose or similar.


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## Mo1959 (11 Apr 2020)

No farms near by? We have a few that put fresh eggs at their gate with an honesty box. Usually proper running about hens too!


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## Deafie (11 Apr 2020)

I believe they get watery as they age. I always go to the back of the display for the eggs with the furthest away 'best by' date


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## MontyVeda (11 Apr 2020)

Yep... the older they are, the wetter they get. Check the date before you buy. If there's a good 2-3 weeks to go, they're usually OK IME.


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## glasgowcyclist (11 Apr 2020)

If you're stuck with a poorer quality egg, try frying it in a cookie cutter to hold it together. If you don’t have one you could use a small can of tuna, just cut the top and the bottom off and wash it.


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## Smudge (11 Apr 2020)

This thread made me just have a fried egg sandwich. But i only really like fried eggs when the pan was used to fry bacon beforehand. Eggs fried in a clean pan just dont work for me.


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## numbnuts (11 Apr 2020)

Get a small fry pan 5 inch


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## rualexander (11 Apr 2020)

Came across Fried Egg flavour crisps in France last year, although they seemed to be from Spain.
Tasted surprisingly fried eggy.


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## swee'pea99 (11 Apr 2020)

gbb said:


> I'm considering trying some from Waitrose or similar.


I would. Half dozen free range, quid a box. All the poncey ones are way more costly, which helps keep the turnover high. Usually fresh, usually large, at least in my experience.


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## gbb (11 Apr 2020)

Fried egg and black pudding sandwich (or better still..bap) ...oh the delight.


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## Cycleops (11 Apr 2020)

Waitrose do the Duchy range so as Charles is such a great advocate of organics should be good.
I read the other day we should be eating white eggs as they come from less aggressive hens so don't need their beaks clipping. Anyone know if that's true?


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## raleighnut (11 Apr 2020)

As some have said Eggs get watery as they age but also if they've been in the fridge.


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## HMS_Dave (11 Apr 2020)

I once brought an Ostrich egg from the local farmers market. Very rich tasting and a very hearty meal on its own!


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## CanucksTraveller (11 Apr 2020)

Try some Burford Browns, you can get them in Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Morrisons. The flavour is excellent and the yolks a deep orange colour. They're dearer, but they're worth the extra quid. 
Duchy are okay too. All the other supermarket eggs are a bit meh, I've found. 

As others have said, new ones stay proud in the pan. Older ones spread and are better for scrambling.


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## slowmotion (11 Apr 2020)

glasgowcyclist said:


> If you're stuck with a poorer quality egg, try frying it in a cookie cutter to hold it together. If you don’t have one you could use a small can of tuna, just cut the top and the bottom off and wash it.
> 
> View attachment 514188


^^^^^^^ Top Tip! Thanks.


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## Smudge (11 Apr 2020)

I always used think that better quality eggs had a more yellow yolk, then i found out its just that some chicken farms add something to the feed to make the eggs have a brighter colour yolk.


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## Eziemnaik (11 Apr 2020)

Eggs age and as they do that they become more alkaline (loss of water and co2) protein matrices inside lose their properties.
Also while not exactly always working, usually buying organic helps
https://www.foodsafetyguru.co.uk/whats-written-on-your-egg/
Also eggs dont like temp variations


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## Eziemnaik (11 Apr 2020)

Also, about the only always working tip for easy peeling boiled eggs is to use....old eggs as proteins lose their properties they do not adhere to the shell with the same forces as fresh ones


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## slowmotion (11 Apr 2020)

I experimented with making mayonnaise a while ago. For that, you need really fresh eggs. The best I could find (in a city) were at the back of the Waitrose egg shelves as fellow parishioners have pointed out.


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## MontyVeda (11 Apr 2020)

glasgowcyclist said:


> If you're stuck with a poorer quality egg, try frying it in a cookie cutter to hold it together. If you don’t have one you could use a small can of tuna, just cut the top and the bottom off and wash it.
> 
> View attachment 514188


WRONG! 

Poor (old) eggs are best reserved for omelettes, scrambling or eggy bread.


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## MontyVeda (11 Apr 2020)

Eziemnaik said:


> Also, about the only always working tip for easy peeling boiled eggs is to use....old eggs as proteins lose their properties they do not adhere to the shell with the same forces as fresh ones


now that is a top tip!


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## PK99 (11 Apr 2020)

gbb said:


> I'm often disappointed with eggs purchased from a supermarket and have struggled to find some that don't spread that watery white all over the pan. A consistent good egg isn't really something you get at the average supermarket.
> local farm eggs would be one source of quality eggs I guess but that's not really an option...any sources of consistently good eggs ,? I'm considering trying some from Waitrose or similar.



any egg consists of Yolk, Tight White and Loose White. As it ages the tight white loses moisture into the loose white.

A trick is to put the egg into a Tea strainer, the loose white will pass through and the strainer will retain the yolk and Tight White


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## slowmotion (11 Apr 2020)

It's probably not a test that you should attempt in a supermarket......

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/egg-float-test/


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## glasgowcyclist (11 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> WRONG!



How very dare you!


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## cyberknight (11 Apr 2020)

eggs 
cant stand the smell of them so i dont et them as is but i will eat them in things when you can smell em


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## MontyVeda (12 Apr 2020)

glasgowcyclist said:


> How very dare you!


Deep down... you know I'm right


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## Deafie (13 Apr 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Waitrose do the Duchy range so as Charles is such a great advocate of organics should be good.
> I read the other day we should be eating white eggs as they come from less aggressive hens so don't need their beaks clipping. Anyone know if that's true?


I believe that the colour of the shell is determined by the chickens diet. A free roaming chicken will consume dirt with their food as they eat randomly from the ground, whereas a factory chicken will have it's diet carefully controlled to ensure the desired colour of eggshell that the customer specifies.The shell is made of the dirt, gravel, rocks, boulders, etc' that the chickens consume.
Aren't there some chicken growers on here?


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## slowmotion (13 Apr 2020)

Deafie said:


> I believe that the colour of the shell is determined by the chickens diet. A free roaming chicken will consume dirt with their food as they eat randomly from the ground, whereas a factory chicken will have it's diet carefully controlled to ensure the desired colour of eggshell that the customer specifies.The shell is made of the dirt, gravel, rocks, boulders, etc' that the chickens consume.
> Aren't there some chicken growers on here?


@mudsticks has some.


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## raleighnut (13 Apr 2020)

Deafie said:


> I believe that the colour of the shell is determined by the chickens diet. A free roaming chicken will consume dirt with their food as they eat randomly from the ground, whereas a factory chicken will have it's diet carefully controlled to ensure the desired colour of eggshell that the customer specifies.The shell is made of the dirt, gravel, rocks, boulders, etc' that the chickens consume.
> Aren't there some chicken growers on here?


I'd always believed that the colour of the Chicken determined the colour of the Egg, white Chickens produce white Eggs as for gravel I thought every bird needed some to digest it's food. Oh and eggshell is Calcium not 'dirt'


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## Deafie (13 Apr 2020)

raleighnut said:


> I'd always believed that the colour of the Chicken determined the colour of the Egg, white Chickens produce white Eggs as for gravel I thought every bird needed some to digest it's food. Oh and eggshell is Calcium not 'dirt'


That sounds way more plausible, somebody probably told me that about the dirt thing when I was 7 and I've believed it ever since.


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## Cycleops (13 Apr 2020)

Unfortunately it seems like the look and colour of the inside and outside of the egg can be engeneered so we consumers can be fooled into thinking they are better than they are.
People in the UK like brown eggs but the preference down here is for white.


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## Deafie (13 Apr 2020)

raleighnut said:


> I'd always believed that the colour of the Chicken determined the colour of the Egg, white Chickens produce white Eggs as for gravel I thought every bird needed some to digest it's food. Oh and eggshell is Calcium not 'dirt'


I just googled it and I was absolutely wrong.


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## Deafie (13 Apr 2020)

Cycleops said:


> Unfortunately it seems like the look and colour of the inside and outside of the egg can be engeneered so we consumers can be fooled into thinking they are better than they are.
> People in the UK like brown eggs but the preference down here is for white.





Cycleops said:


> Unfortunately it seems like the look and colour of the inside and outside of the egg can be engeneered so we consumers can be fooled into thinking they are better than they are.
> People in the UK like brown eggs but the preference down here is for white.


I think I'd heard that somewhere, and factory eggs are suspiciously uniform in colour. I always buy the free range 'certified humane' graded ones which are randomly coloured, as one would expect from a natural product.


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## Eziemnaik (13 Apr 2020)

One of the most common ways to achieve attractive yolk color is give the hens lots of beta caroten😊
What is quite interesting same procedure is applied to chickens, as customers generally prefer darker color


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## neil_merseyside (13 Apr 2020)

The 'brown egg is better, was on the basis of brown bread/rice is better I believe, and as has been said chicken colour decides egg colour.


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## Eziemnaik (13 Apr 2020)

But not that of yolk, so even white hen with enough carrot in its diet can provide us with beautiful, deep orange/red yolk 😊


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## raleighnut (13 Apr 2020)

Eziemnaik said:


> But not that of yolk, so even white hen with enough carrot in its diet can provide us with beautiful, deep orange/red yolk 😊


I thought 'corn' (Maize) in the feed helped with darker yolks.


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## Eziemnaik (13 Apr 2020)

It does indeed just as beta carotene


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## MontyVeda (13 Apr 2020)

so... which came first?


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## Eziemnaik (13 Apr 2020)

Dunno
But if anybody would like a tip for scrambled eggs add salt and some acid into the beaten eggs to encourage coagulation therefore resulting in creamier end result


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## DCBassman (19 Apr 2020)

Whenever passing Mary Tavy PO, always buy a dozen large farm eggs. Little opportunity now...
Even had a double yolk the last lot, first in decades!


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## Fab Foodie (21 Apr 2020)

Goose eggs last Sunday!


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## Salty seadog (21 Apr 2020)

slowmotion said:


> @mudsticks has some.



Trouble being the good lady planted them in the wrong soil and they never really took hold.


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## Salty seadog (21 Apr 2020)

I love a rich yoked egg. I go for Burford Browns or Blue Auracana. Tescos finest or Clarence Court are always reliable in my opinion. If I'm frying out poaching I always go premium.


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## glasgowcyclist (21 Apr 2020)

gbb said:


> struggled to find some that don't spread that watery white all over the pan.



Here’s another way to keep the egg contained...


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## Fab Foodie (21 Apr 2020)

Salty seadog said:


> I love a rich yoked egg. I go for Burford Browns or Blue Auracana. Tescos finest or Clarence Court are always reliable in my opinion. If I'm frying out poaching I always go premium.


Where do you poach them from, if you don’t mind me asking?


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## Salty seadog (21 Apr 2020)

Fab Foodie said:


> Where do you poach them from, if you don’t mind me asking?



Waitrose, natch....


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## Chromatic (21 Apr 2020)

Deafie said:


> I believe that the colour of the shell is determined by the chickens diet. A free roaming chicken will consume dirt with their food as they eat randomly from the ground, whereas a factory chicken will have it's diet carefully controlled to ensure the desired colour of eggshell that the customer specifies.The shell is made of the dirt, gravel, rocks, boulders, etc' that the chickens consume.
> *Aren't there some chicken growers on here?*



I remember the days when Wafflycat was the resident chicken grower.


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## slowmotion (21 Apr 2020)

Chromatic said:


> I remember the days when Wafflycat was the resident chicken grower.


Was she the person who had battery rescue chickens?


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## PK99 (21 Apr 2020)

numbnuts said:


> Get a small fry pan 5 inch
> View attachment 514201



Big knob of butter, let it brown over a medium high flame, drop in an egg, when white sufficiently set, carefully toss and after a few seconds serve = Eggy perfection.


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## Chromatic (22 Apr 2020)

slowmotion said:


> Was she the person who had battery rescue chickens?



Yes, I believe she was.


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## Eziemnaik (22 Apr 2020)

PK99 said:


> Big knob of butter, let it brown over a medium high flame, drop in an egg, when white sufficiently set, carefully toss and after a few seconds serve = Eggy perfection.


Sunny side down - anti-Instagram egg


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## ozboz (22 Apr 2020)

gbb said:


> Fried egg and black pudding sandwich (or better still..bap) ...oh the delight.


No such thing , it’s a. Egg n Black Pudding Butty !!😃


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## Electric_Andy (22 Apr 2020)

A few weeks ago there were no "normal" eggs left in the supermarket, so I had to get all that was left which was 6 (longbar or something) eggs for £2.60. I didn't notice much of a difference apart from a more orange yolk. My son said he didn't like them in pancakes, probably becasue they were too eggy.


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## MontyVeda (22 Apr 2020)

glasgowcyclist said:


> Here’s another way to keep the egg contained...
> 
> View attachment 516937


Had one of those this morning... but mine wasn't quite so cute. 

Had my first fried eggs for god knows how long on my Full English yesterday. I usually poach but the eggs were too old. I wish i'd scrambled them instead. I'm going to be controversial now... but I feel that fried is the lowest form of egg.


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## glasgowcyclist (22 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> I feel that fried is the lowest form of egg



Then you are more to be pitied than scolded.


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## Fab Foodie (22 Apr 2020)

glasgowcyclist said:


> Then you are more to be pitied than scolded.


Agreed. A nicely fried egg is a thing of epicurean beauty.


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## Ridgeway (22 Apr 2020)

Freshness is one thing and then the hens diet is another main contributor. Our hens are now firing on all cylinders so we're at full capacity although that's not much as they're all getting on a bit now. The difference between a free range home egg vs a typical supermarket egg is significant and probably one of the greatest differences you can find in the food world, supermarket eggs are a shadow of their free range cousin although a lot cheaper and easy to find. 

Most of ours are consumed the day they are laid, often within a few hours. The yolks sit very proud in the frying pan and are hard to pop, the colour is almost orange and the white has a distinctive bloom to it.

I would certainly look out for someone selling eggs at the roadside, we used to sell about 1.5dzn a day when we were in the UK just with an honesty box (we had around 30 hens then)


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## MontyVeda (22 Apr 2020)

Fab Foodie said:


> Agreed. A nicely fried egg is a thing of epicurean beauty.


Not a patch on a nicely poached egg.


Ridgeway said:


> Freshness is one thing and then the hens diet is another main contributor. Our hens are now firing on all cylinders so we're at full capacity although that's not much as they're all getting on a bit now. The difference between a free range home egg vs a typical supermarket egg is significant and probably one of the greatest differences you can find in the food world, supermarket eggs are a shadow of their free range cousin although a lot cheaper and easy to find.
> 
> Most of ours are consumed the day they are laid, often within a few hours. The yolks sit very proud in the frying pan and are hard to pop, the colour is almost orange and the white has a distinctive bloom to it.
> 
> I would certainly look out for someone selling eggs at the roadside, we used to sell about 1.5dzn a day when we were in the UK just with an honesty box (we had around 30 hens then)


When you say 'supermarket' do you mean 'battery farmed'?


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## Smudge (22 Apr 2020)

Friends of mine used to keep chickens. Apparently they were ex battery hens that were sold off because they weren't laying as many when they got older. I always went home with loads of eggs when i visited them. Great tasting eggs, but i did find them too rich at first, being used to mass produced supermarket eggs.
Also, I remember my mate saying he purged the hens for a while before eating the eggs, to get all the drugs and supplements out the system of the hens.


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## SpokeyDokey (22 Apr 2020)

gbb said:


> I'm often disappointed with eggs purchased from a supermarket and have struggled to find some that don't spread that watery white all over the pan. A consistent good egg isn't really something you get at the average supermarket.
> local farm eggs would be one source of quality eggs I guess but that's not really an option...*any sources of consistently good eggs ,?* I'm considering trying some from Waitrose or similar.



At the start of the main footpath to Farleton Knott (the hill adjacent to and East of J36 M6) there is a knackered old microwave oven set on some bricks that is home to some lovely farm eggs at £1.00 for half a dozen. Recommended.


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## Ridgeway (22 Apr 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> When you say 'supermarket' do you mean 'battery farmed'?



Just from a supermarket really as most of the eggs there are depicted as being "free range" and still pale into insignificance


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## wafter (4 May 2020)

I've started buying mine from a local (ish) farm; £5/30 and generally a lot more fresh / nicer quality than stuff you'll get from the supermarket.

Waitrose stuff isn't bad but you're talking about 2.5 times the price for their better offerings and tbh I think the farm eggs are nicer. Only issue is convenience as it's a 15 mile round trip, stock's not always guranteed and you need change for the honesty box..

I was actually planning on a sedate egg run today but last time I got there around lunchtime they'd only got the 2nds left, which are cheaper but often have thinner shells which crack when boiling. Obviously less of an issue if you're using other methods. Looks like it's tomorrow morning's job now!


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## gbb (24 Sep 2020)

Thinking about this tonight as I did tea for my wife and myself....thick cut smoked bacon, black pudding, baked beans, fried tomato, fried bread....and fried Waitrose eggs. While farm eggs might be better, even paying a bit extra at waitrose really does pay. Asda eggs are a thing of the past now, theres just no comparison. 

Lovely rich flavoured tea tonight and not particually unhealthy. Bacon, black pudding and tomatoes done in an air fryer, no added oil, eggs and bread done in the minimum of oil.

Best fryup I've had in a while.


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## pawl (24 Sep 2020)

gbb said:


> Thinking about this tonight as I did tea for my wife and myself....thick cut smoked bacon, black pudding, baked beans, fried tomato, fried bread....and fried Waitrose eggs. While farm eggs might be better, even paying a bit extra at waitrose really does pay. Asda eggs are a thing of the past now, theres just no comparison.
> 
> Lovely rich flavoured tea tonight and not particually unhealthy. Bacon, black pudding and tomatoes done in an air fryer, no added oil, eggs and bread done in the minimum of oil.
> 
> Best fryup I've had in a while.




please please.Open a cyclist cafe at the bottom of my road.Black Pudding I am sitting salivating


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## slowmotion (25 Sep 2020)

Waitrose eggs are pretty pricy but can be quite good. The secret is to rummage to the very back of the egg shelf to find the eggs that are freshest. They put the older ones at the front, for obvious reasons.


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## Salty seadog (25 Sep 2020)

Clarence Court eggs are always very good. Such rich yellow tasty yolks.
Some things are worth paying for. 

https://www.clarencecourt.co.uk/our-eggs/egg-range/


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## Lovacott (25 Sep 2020)

I get mine from a local farm. They have a cupboard outside in which they keep farm produce and you pay on an honour system. The farmers wife makes really nice flapjacks as well so I pick up a couple of those when I get my eggs.

They poach really well with no wispy bits (super fresh). I am a recent convert to poached eggs having been put off them as a kid when my mum did one for me and I gagged on the partially cooked white. Done properly though they are one of life real luxuries.

If I'm frying an egg, I use week old eggs as the white sits flatter in the pan.


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## Colin Grigson (25 Sep 2020)

Fried egg sandwiches or ‘egg banjos’ as they’re called, with a little ketchup and mustard .... OMG - my absolute favourite thing in the world - I would swap my children for one


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## cambsno (26 Sep 2020)

Salty seadog said:


> Clarence Court eggs are always very good. Such rich yellow tasty yolks.
> Some things are worth paying for.
> 
> https://www.clarencecourt.co.uk/our-eggs/egg-range/



That is all I buy - Burford Browns normally - lovely yolks and great eggs.


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## Salty seadog (26 Sep 2020)

cambsno said:


> That is all I buy - Burford Browns normally - lovely yolks and great eggs.



Consistently reliable.


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## Dave7 (27 Sep 2020)

ozboz said:


> No such thing , it’s a. Egg n Black Pudding Butty !!😃


Why dont you just have egg with congealed blood and lumps of fat


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## Globalti (29 Sep 2020)

I'm getting my eggs fresh from a neighbour at £3.50 a dozen. They are super, fresh as ever with lovely yellow yolks. Generally I flash-fry some ham or bacon in butter then break in a couple of eggs with a little milk, stir a little then serve the whole mish-mash on buttered brown toast.


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## Cycleops (29 Sep 2020)

slowmotion said:


> Was she the person who had battery rescue chickens?









Are you sure she was trying to rescue them?


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