Left totally on my own devices, I am the kind of person who would overdose on Melton Mowbray pork pies, as I like all sorts of treat foods that I should not really gorge on. Among such items of ‘bad’ food are Scotch eggs. Hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs, and baked, they are an unhealthy but very tasty encapsulation of Britain.
A friend and I were in central London a couple of days ago, and it turned out that she has never eaten a Scotch egg. This situation obviously needed rectifying, so we popped into Selfridges, a department store on Oxford Street, as one does. Selfridges food hall sells a number of different and rather posh Scotch eggs, and we decided on the venison version: it was extremely good. The egg was cooked perfectly, with the slightly wobbly yoke in a wonderfully vivid hue of orange in the centre, surrounded by bright yellow near the whites. The venison was succulently and distinctly but not overwhelmingly gamey and went well with the egg. The crust was crisp and added texture, holding everything together.
So here is a tip for visitors to London: for an upscale British culinary experience, head to a department store and purchase a Scotch egg (and a Melton Mowbray pork pie). A posh Scotch egg might not be cheap, but it’s far cheaper than eating at a restaurant or paying for an over-priced non-descript sandwich, and it is a proper bargain in terms of calorific intake. Alternatively and for a more authentic experience, purchase a pack of Scotch eggs at a supermarket, though they are unlikely to be as nice as a venison or a duck egg Scotch egg.