Page 36 - Phonebox Magazine June 2024

They’re popular, versatile, tasty and loved all over the world. Eggs are a staple of the British diet with millions being eaten every day. This month celebrates National Egg Day.
THEY’VE CRACKED IT!
How do you celebrate something so ‘ordinary’ and yet so useful? Using half a dozen in your cooking is one way, while visiting some chickens and hens at a farm could be another. National Egg Day is celebrated each year on 3rd June, when we get the chance to discover the incredible attributes of eggs and all the delicious dishes they help to create. Omelettes, fry-ups, quiches, cakes, fish dishes, curries, pizzas – so many styles of cuisine include the use of eggs. And let’s not forget the simple scrambled egg on toast! The UK produces 10 billion eggs a year and is self-sufficient when it comes to supply. It’s thought that around 32 million eggs are eaten very day in the UK. Free range eggs are now the most popular sort bought, with almost 75% produced this way.
NATIONAL EGG DAY
Eggs are not just an important part of the UK’s diet: they signify new beginnings, fertility and a fresh outlook. So, as well as eating something egg-based, you can do all sorts of fun and exciting things to celebrate this popular food.
1. Cook an eggy meal. Poached egg? Quiche Lorraine? Mexican Eggs? Get out the recipe books or search the Internet and find something new and delicious to try cooking, with eggs as the star of the show.
2. Research eggs and discover their place in the world. From Chinese Egg Fried Rice to Mexican Papadzules and American Eggs Benedict, the international appeal of eggs is incredible.
3. There are many local farms and farm parks that include hens among their animals. They are so easy to watch, they’re tame and friendly and offer an interesting story in terms of egg production that adults and children will enjoy.
4. Invitefriendsandfamilytoaneggs-cellentlunch.Organising a get-together with eggs on the menu is easy – there are so many recipes to choose from. Cook some dishes, bake a cake, and let the children have a go at egg decorating.
36 Phonebox Magazine | June 2024
Nobody knows exactly
when the first egg was
E G
G
H
I
S
eaten nor who realised just
T
O
how versatile eggs can be, but
R
Y
historical records certainly
show that these cracking food
items have been used for
It’s thought that
many centuries across
ancient people, who
India, China, Egypt and
kept fowl for meat, realised Europe. Domestic
that if they took unhatched chickens reached the
eggs for consumption, the bird USA in the 15th
would simply lay some more. century.
The old English term for an egg was ‘oeg’, but this developed and became ‘ey’. For some time that was the accepted term, but in
the mid-15th century the
word ‘egg’ was adopted.
RECIPE –
EGGS BENEDICT
Ingredients
4 eggs
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 English muffins, split 3 tbsp butter
4 slices bacon
salt, to taste
For the Hollandaise sauce: 12 tbsp unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice salt, to taste
white pepper, to taste parsley, to taste
Method: Simmer water in a pan over medium heat and add vinegar. Slip the eggs into simmering water. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and continue cooking for about 4 minutes. The eggs are done when the egg whites are firm. Use a slotted
spoon to transfer them to a bowl of ice-cold water. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Toast the muffins and butter
lightly. Put them back in the oven to keep warm.
Melt the remaining butter and fry the bacon for 5 minutes
until browned. Put the bacon on top of the muffins and
return to the oven.
For the Hollandaise, melt butter over low heat and
mix together egg yolks, lemon juice, 1 tbsp water, salt
and pepper. Whisk until they are pale yellow. Cook
over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, whisking
constantly. Remove pan from heat and add butter slowly,
until sauce thickens.
Prepare a pan of simmering water and reheat the eggs for 1
minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to drain on paper
towels. Gently put the eggs on bacon, and drizzle Hollandaise
sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley.