In our new foodie series championing British produce, Jenny Jefferies, author of two award-wining cookbooks will share monthly recipes with Farmers Guardian.
On Friday October 14, egg fans worldwide will be celebrating the power of the egg and all its nutritional, environmental and societal benefits.
The global event, celebrated on the second Friday of October every year, welcomes everyone to honour the unique contribution eggs make to supporting people around the world.
Among the most nutritious foods on the planet, one large egg provides 13 essential vitamins and minerals and 6g of protein, making this perfect package a healthy and affordable addition to the diets of people of all ages.
Along with their nutritional value, eggs are the most environmentally sustainable and affordable animal-source protein available, helping support families around the world as well as the planet itself.
There has been some hardship in recent months for egg farmers in the UK due to avian flu. The nationwide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone that was declared on November 3, 2021 was only lifted on the August 16, 2022. Farmers, despite what some people think, are doing absolutely great things albeit ongoing challenges.
We are passionate about our free-range hens and their eggs but also about the environment, which is why we looked into pioneering ways to become carbon neutral," says Charles Mear of Wood Farm Free Range Eggs Ltd, Waresley.
"In our efforts to be as green as possible, we mill our feed for the hens on the farm using solar energy. We use wheat and barley from neighbouring farmers and add vitamins, nutrients, probiotics and enriched natural yeasts to keep the hens at the peak of health.
You can join in the celebrations wherever you are by sharing your favourite egg dish using #WorldEggDay on social media. This month I am sharing Wood Farms delicious recipe for Crme Brle taken from my book For The Love Of The Land II.
You can followJenny @jennyljefferies
Crme Brle
This is a family favourite and of course uses Wood Farms free-range eggs! A great friend of ours who amazingly made all the food for our wedding passed this recipe on to me. I like to use medium eggs as the yolk size is the same as a large egg. - Jo Mear
PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES, PLUS AT LEAST 2 HOURS CHILLING | COOKING TIME: 40 MINUTES | SERVES 6
Ingredients:
6 eggs (I tend to use medium)
1?2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top
1 pint (568ml) double cream
1 punnet of fresh raspberries
Method:
Separate the eggs and put the yolks in a bowl, reserving the whites for another recipe. Mix the yolks with a fork (not a whisk) and then stir in the vanilla essence and sugar.
Meanwhile, heat the cream in a saucepan but do not let it boil. Once hot, take the pan off the heat and stir the cream into the egg mixture until combined.
Firmly tap the bowl on a flat surface a few times to remove any air bubbles in the mixture. Pour equal amounts into 6 ramekins (no more than three quarters full) and cook at 180c in a bain-marie for 25 minutes. What this means is to place the ramekins in a deep roasting tin large enough to hold all 6 of them without touching each other, then pour freshly boiled water into the tin (being careful not to splash the brules) until it reaches halfway up the ramekins. Place the bain-marie carefully into the preheated oven and cook for the specified time.
Once the brules are cooked, remove the ramekins from the bain-marie and allow to cool, then cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours but preferably 6 hours or longer.
20 minutes before you want to serve, sprinkle each brule with a thin layer of caster sugar and either use a cooks blowtorch or a hot grill to melt the sugar until it has turned dark gold. Leave for 5 minutes for the sugar to set into a crisp topping, then serve with a few raspberries on the side.
