Scotch Egg

A Scotch egg is a boiled egg wrapped whole in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. It is a picnic classic, and the whole thing is judged on one detail — how soft the yolk inside stays once the egg has been through a boil, a wrap and a full fry.

What it really is

A whole egg, boiled to a specific point short of fully hard so the yolk keeps some softness, is wrapped evenly in a layer of sausage meat thick enough to hold its shape but thin enough to cook through in the time the frying takes. Rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried, the outside turns crisp and deep golden while the sausage meat inside cooks fully — the trick is getting that meat cooked through without the egg inside overcooking along with it.

The boil time on the egg is the entire difference between a good Scotch egg and a dry one. An egg boiled too long comes out chalky and crumbly by the time it's fried again inside its sausage coat; the timing has to account for the second cooking the egg gets once it's wrapped.

How it is served

• Whole or halved, at room temperature more often than hot.
• With mustard or a pickle on the side.
• As a picnic food or a pub starter, rarely a main course on its own.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the egg and the wheat in the breadcrumb coating.
• Say how the yolk turns out — soft or fully set — since that's genuinely the detail regulars judge the dish on.
• Note if it's served warm or cold, since both are traditional but guests may have a preference.