The first post in forever feat. scotch eggs

I know I said I'd try and schedule some posts but (clearly) that didn't work out!  Anyway, I'm back off my travels (for now) and have found some time to write a post.  I've been wanting to try making scotch eggs for a while now and being back home in a proper kitchen seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Scotch eggs

They were actually remarkably simple to make!  I followed the Baker Brothers' recipe and it worked really well.  While boiling the eggs for around 6 mins I made up the sausage meat to go around the eggs.  I used pork mince, fresh thyme, ground mace and English mustard along with some salt and pepper to season.  Once I'd mixed all that together the eggs were done.  The easiest way to peel them is to place them in a pan of cold water, then once cooled continue to run cold water over them while peeling.

Although they said to use plain breadcrumbs I decided to use some left over from another day which also had some lemon zest and oregano in them and it really did improve the taste of the outer coating.  It's also worth noting that I prefer not to use shop-bought breadcrumbs, instead I like to cut of the crusts of bread and whizz them up in a food processor for a few minutes to make my own, I find that they are less dry and make for a more interesting texture.

Once the breadcrumbs and eggs have been prepared lay out a small square of cling film on your work surface (large enough to wrap round your egg) and divide the mixture up to ensure you use roughly the same amount for each egg.  Spread one portion out over the cling film using the back of a spoon to form an oval shape which is roughly the same thickness all the way across and which will fit round an egg.  Place the egg in the centre and gather up the cling film so that the sausage meat coats the egg.  Remove the cling film and remember you will need to use your hands to mould the sausage meat, cover up any holes which have formed and to form a seal.  Place the coated eggs on a plate and leave them in the fridge to firm up.

Sausage-coated eggs

For the next stage you'll need three plates and a bowl.  Cover one plate in plain flour, one in the breadcrumbs and leave the other free for the finished eggs.  You'll also need to beat a couple of eggs with some milk and place them in a bowl.  Roll the sausage-coated eggs first in flour, then in the egg mix followed by the breadcrumbs before rolling it in the egg and breadcrumbs for a second time.  Place the eggs on the empty plate and then put them back in the fridge to firm up again.

The coated eggs

While the eggs are firming up in the fridge I heated the oil in a deep fat fryer.  I placed the eggs in two at a time for about 1 minute and forty seconds and transferred them to an empty plate after draining.  The eggs will then need to go into a preheated oven for ten minutes or so in order to cook through fully.

The finished eggs - fried and baked

The eggs turned out beautifully, with slightly runny centres and crispy outer coatings.  The eggs are best eaten fresh with a salad but they can be put in the fridge to eat another day.  If cooked just right the centres will still be a little gooey even the following day.  However, I will admit that there is a certain element of luck involved in cooking scotch eggs as you can't see inside.  I advise making an extra egg if you can which you can cut open after it's been in the oven to check the progress of the eggs, if the meat isn't quite cooked through then you can fold it up again and pop all the eggs back in the oven.

A perfectly gooey centre

All in all scotch eggs are definitely worth the effort as when you make them yourself they really do taste a lot better than the ones you can buy in the shops.  I'll update this post when I try them again.  Next time I hope to try a couple of variations on this more traditional recipe, perhaps with a black pudding instead of sausage meat, or falafel for the veggies!

Afternoon Tease - review

Returning to Cambridge after Christmas I was delighted to discover that a lovely little café had opened up on King Street behind my college.  It is a lovely little place called Afternoon Tease which serves delicious homemade and freshly-baked cakes, brunch and lunch along with Kandula teas and coffee (featuring Cambridge's very own Hot Numbers Coffee).

 Everything is served on beautiful mis-matched china and if you're lucky the milk comes in one of these adorable little milk bottles.  I've tried several of the teas now from the English Breakfast tea to the slightly more unusual Ceylon Black and next on my list to try is the Ceylon pink!

Tea served in beautiful china

I always wait for my tea with excited anticipation as you never know which of their many teapots you are going to be given.  When I last went I was delighted when we were given the cow teapot, which I love, and the more unusual pineapple teapot which I hadn't seen before.

I love their range of teapots

I apologise that the pictures above do not do the cake served at Afternoon Tease justice (it may have something to do with the fact that I could hardly wait to start eating them and so took less time over the pictures!)  The picture on the left is of the chocolate cake - possibly the richest I have ever eaten - needless to say I will definitely have this again the next time it is on offer.  I am not usually a fan of carrot cake, but Afternoon Tease has converted me!  It was lovely and moist and the cream cheese icing gave it just the right amount of sweetness.  The next time I visit I really want to the try chocolate Guinness cake which has looked very tempting when I've visited previously.

The very first time I visited I tried the crumpets from Cambridge's Dovecote Bakery, served with your choice of jam, honey, marmalade (I honestly can't remember all the options).  They, like everything else, were incredibly tasty, light and fluffy and were a perfect breakfast, rivalled only by the bacon bap I had there the other day!  They also serve chunky sourdough toast which once again are served with your choice of topping - great if you want something simple but still tasty and filling.  Next on my list is the banana loaf which you can have with butter and cinnamon or griddled and served with streaky bacon and maple syrup - I had a bite of a friend's when I was there last and I will definitely be going back for it.

Ceylon Black tea

After 12 Afternoon Tease serves a lunch menu which from what I've seen on Facebook usually includes a sandwich or toastie and soup.  Unfortunately I've not managed to try anything off the lunch menu yet as I'm generally busier with lectures and supervisions in the afternoons but I hope I'll find time soon to pop in for lunch.

Afternoon Tease is the perfect place to go, whether you want to catch up with friends over a pot of tea, or while away some time reading with a nice piece of cake to keep you going.  I would definitely recommend this place to anyone and will be returning frequently.

You can follow Jo Kruczynska (owner of Afternoon Tease) on Twitter or Facebook, alternatively check out her website and blog here.  I love seeing her daily menu updates with appetising pictures of the food she'll be serving.

Afternoon Tease can be found at 13 King Street, Cambridge, CB1 1LH - Enjoy!