Easy Homemade Scotch Eggs

My recipe for Easy Homemade Scotch Eggs makes 6 delicious Scotch Eggs with wild garlic and leeks in the sausage coating. Perfect for picnics & high tea.

My recipe for Easy Homemade Scotch Eggs is an old one, and a favourite one at Chez Lavender & Lovage. I first published this recipe in 2011 and it’s been popular ever since then. We love Scotch Eggs, and the best ones without doubt are home-made. Freshly boiled free-range or home-grown eggs are encased in a herb & spice flavoured sausage & bread crumb “jacket” which are then deep-fried until golden and crisp, freshly made they are utterly delicious, and are perfect picnic food.

Contrary to popular belief, Scotch eggs are not Scottish, and they were actually invented by the famous London department store “Fortnum
& Mason” in 1738, where they are still available on sale today. The word “Scotch” is an old English word meaning to chop or mince, and as the eggs are covered with “chopped or minced” pork sausage meat, this is where the name Scotch Eggs is thought to originate from.

Today’s recipe for Easy Homemade Scotch Eggs really IS easy – you just have to put aside some time and plenty of space to prepare and assemble these delectable sausage and herb coated eggs. I like to fry my Scotch Eggs in a wok-style pan, or a deep frying pan, but you can use an electric fryer of course.

You can use any sausages or sausage meat you like, in my recipe today, I have opted for Pork and Leek sausages, which we use for the Bed and Breakfast guests for a full cooked Welsh Breakfast. I use a local butcher’s sausages, Edwards of Conwy, but please use any local butcher’s sausages (or supermarket Sausages) of your choice. There’s a dizzying array of all sorts of flavoured sausages available to shoppers now.

In my original recipe for Authentic Scotch Eggs with Sausage and Sage that I posted in 2011, I stick fairly closely to what I would call a “standard” Scotch Egg recipe. I use SAGE as the main herb, as well as MACE and MIXED SPICE. I have added WILD GARLIC and PARSLEY to my mixture this time, as wild garlic is in season and I have loads of fresh parsley growing in my herb garden right now.

If you cannot source mace, you can use nutmeg instead, as mace is just the lacy outer casing of nutmeg. Mace is subtler than nutmeg, so you’ll need to just the quantities accordingly. Other spices that can be used are ALLSPICE or FIVE SPICE for an Asian flavour. And, you can use many other herbs other than sage and parsley, such as thyme, rosemary, lovage or bay leaves.

• You can use flavoured sausages. I used Pork and Leek sausages, as you can see from the photos. Pork and Apple, Pork and Onion and Pork and Chilli are also fabulous, as well as classic British regional sausages such as Cumberland, Lincolnshire and Oxford.
• Haggis and black pudding can be used to coat the eggs, but are best when mixed with sausage meat, otherwise they are too rich.
• I used wild garlic and parsley last time I made these, so I omitted the sage and spring onions. Use any fresh, seasonal herbs you have to hand. See above in Herbs and Spices. NB: I used about 20 wild garlic leaves finely diced, and 1 large stalk of parsley, the leaves finely chopped.
• Use Quail Eggs for small Scotch Eggs, these are perfect for amuse bouche, or for an elegant gourmet picnic starter with some pretty salad leaves and some mustard dressing.
• Use QUORN mince for a vegetarian version. Mix one beaten egg with the Quorn mince, and add the seasonings suggested as normal.
• For a cheesy version, add 100g of grated mature Cheddar cheese to the pork or Quorn mixture.

Let’s get onto the eggs now, free-range or organic eggs are best, or home-grown ones of course. And, you can choose whether you want a gooey soft yolk, or a hard boiled egg with a firm yolk. I’ve shared how to cook your eggs the way you want them below:

For a soft and gooey egg yolk, place 6 eggs in a pan of water. Bring to the boil and as soon as the water starts to boil, allow them to cook for 4 minutes, then take them straight off the heat and place them in cold water, to stop them cooking further, to cool quickly and to avoid a black ring around the yolk.

For a hard boiled egg with a firm yolk, proceed as above but as soon as the eggs come to the boil allow them to boil for 7 to 8 minutes. Again, take them straight off the heat and place them in cold water, to stop them cooking further, to cool quickly and to avoid a black ring around the yolk.

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I hope you enjoy these Easy Homemade Scotch Eggs if you make them – the recipe AND some step-by-step instructions and process photos are share below, as well as a printable recipe card, which is at the END of this post. Karen

You’ll find the full and printable recipe at the end of this post.

• Boil the eggs first – For a soft and gooey egg yolk, place 6 eggs in a pan of water. Bring to the boil and as soon as the water starts to boil, allow them to cook for 4 minutes, then take them straight off the heat and place them in cold water, to stop them cooking further, to cool quickly and to avoid a black ring around the yolk. For a hard boiled egg with a firm yolk, proceed as above but as soon as the eggs come to the boil allow them to boil for 7 to 8 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, carefully remove the shells and set them to one size.

• Prepare the sausage meat coating: Add the wild garlic, parsley, mace, salt and pepper to the sausage meat, mix well with your hands and then divide into 6 portions. (Add the optional mixed spice at this stage if using.)

• Prepare the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs: Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a shallow bowl with a tablespoon of water and leave to one side. Put the flour in another shallow bowl or plate with a good seasoning of salt and pepper, and then put the breadcrumbs on another plate.

• Making the Scotch Eggs: Roll an egg in the seasoned flour. Then flatten and mould a portion of sausage meat around each egg, making sure there are no gaps. Coat the sausage coated egg in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Coat all the shelled boiled eggs like this and set them to one side. NB: Make sure you have a floured board to shape and flatten the sausage meat so it doesn’t stick to the work surface.

• Frying the Scotch Eggs: Heat about 10 cm of oil in a small, deep frying pan or saucepan (big enough to hold the 6 eggs at once or at least two or three at a time) until it is hot enough to brown a small cube of bread in 60 seconds. Fry the sausage coated eggs for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning them until they are brown all over and the sausage meat is cooked. Drain quickly on kitchen paper and leave to cool.

• To serve: When the Scotch eggs are completely cold you can keep them in the fridge until you are ready to eat them. Or, you can eat them slightly warm just after cooking. Serve them with fresh salad leaves and tomatoes.

I’ve linked this recipe to COOK BLOG SHARE