Eggs

When we talk about eggs we nearly always mean hens’ eggs, but many other eggs are worth trying, too. Duck eggs, with their blue-tinted whites and distinctive taste, are much liked by some people; and are very popular in the Far East. I have never been offered a goose egg, perhaps because geese are not such prolific layers as hens and ducks, but their eggs are said to be excellent and milder in flavour than ducks’ eggs. Both duck and goose eggs make deliciously rich sponge cakes.

One of the best eggs I have ever eaten was a pheasant’s egg, which was delicate and creamy. And, I wish I could try pigeons’ eggs, which, I am told, are absolutely delicious. After hens’ eggs, quails’ eggs now seem to be the most readily available commercially. Although quails’ eggs are nearly always eaten hard-boiled, soft-poached quails’ eggs, either served plain in a salad or dropped into a clear soup, are truly magical. Fried quails’ eggs make lovely canapé toppings.