To think this was quite a nice packed lunch I made for 20 month old.

[B4Beatrice]

In brief, meeting relative for picnic yesterday. I said I would do food as she works part time so would be coming straight to park. I made our DDs both 20 months, a homemade scotch egg (very big) each and bough them a tub of strawberries to share.

Friend told me it was not an adequate lunch and that a sandwich is more appropriate??

Am I or her BU??

Jena- that's the one! I bake them at just under full wack with very little pre heat. They would be warm from the pan. However the seal is broken on my oven door (should probably fixed that). So maybe 180 ish in yours. I'm a bit of a make it up cook!

You can tell they are done because they feel quite "unstable" before cooking because the meat is raw. Keep checking and you will feel the difference, they will feel stronger and less likely to fall apart. Don't be too thick on the sausage meat either. They tend to crack.

Also, I only boil the eggs for about 8 mins, as we like them still ever so slightly "sticky" in the middle.

Good luck!

I am assuming my samples are on their way

Sorry curry spice, I'm not sure Royal Mail will transport them! Health and Saftey and all that !

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm sounds yummy.

Isn't it a bit difficult to eat a big round scotch egg with a 20-month-old mouth? I have to open my mouth very wide to take a bit from one!

I did in fact buy scotch eggs today as a result of this thread. Just boring orange supermarket ones though. Will have to give the recipe a go :)

Sirzy, yes, I read the whole thing. IMHO, anyone who thinks it was ok to moan about this is quite rude. There was plenty of other choices, and it was only one meal! Wouldn't you just do the polite thing if you didn't like it/ thought it wasn't a suitably balanced meal/ were extremely precious about what your DC ate? One meal!

Ah OP, you know what - disastrous picnic or not - you've done some good: I'm going to attempt my first ever scotch egg tonight, so thank you very much for that.

I've never eaten scotch eggs, actually, as it looked and sounded awful to me. However, seeing the recipe, I can imagine it to be tasty and filling. Next time, just add something like cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce hearts, and thickly sliced cucumbers, and you're sorted. Maybe focaccia to nibble on too if carbs needed, and if you buy it instead of making, it's no extra preparation needed. All these are big hits with toddlers as easy to eat - and much less likely to fall apart like your average sandwich. Oh, and I'm lazy, so the no-prep thing high on my list of priorities...

As far as AYBU, I guess possibly so, but your friend out of line with her comment. Next time let her make it. Or pick up sushi on the way home from work, which is what I'd do. (That would qualify as inadequate too, so I'd have to scoff them all myself. Oh, the hardship.)

OP - is the friend quite outspoken normally? I'm not trying to excuse her, what she said was rude, but was just wondering if she was surprised at the choice and just said the first thing that popped into her head without realising how rude it sounded?

Trillian- we cut them in quarters!

Bertie- shop bought scotch eggs are not even food .
Just make them, they are a million times better. Do when the kids are in bed whilst drinking a bottle glass of wine.
Even if the worst happens and they fall apart, just scoff them anyway. You will never buy shop ones again.

MisSal- were they any good?

Kate- probably yes. The AIBU question was mire because I thought it was okay for the babies! Apparently I was wrong!

it's one lunch. It's a homemade scotch egg (and even if it was shop bought, so what, once in a while).... plus fruit. B4Beatrice, I have the benefit of hindsight (got very fit, healthy teenagers, and years of competitive parenting behind me). YANBU, and next time you meet up, suggest she brings the picnic. If her DD doesn't like eggs, then she should have warned you. If she wants DD to have bread, she should have told you. So glad these days are behind me xx

OP, we haven't eaten them yet (packed lunch for tomorrow), but it looks great good, and was surprisingly fun to make. I used clingfilm to help when wrapping the meat around. Unless we die of my first try tomorrow, I will definitely do it more often! :)

Cool. I also read another recipe ( whilst checking the BBC one) and it said to put them in fridge before breadcrumbing them so that they hold.

Hope they are good!

Boiling eggs now for late (very late!) lunch in garden; soooo tempted to make Scotch eggs (only problem is have no sausages in fridge!)

I think it's a bit of a rubbish picnic TBH

sounds a rubbish picnic and almost selfish TBH unless you knew her child liked scotch eggs (like marmite you either usually love or loath them) and strawberries. I might not have been rude to you but I would have thought WTF and no way would you be in charge of the food again. You did ask.

I used to love scotch eggs as a kid mmmmmmmmm
And my 18 month old would kill over strawberries

I haven't read all of this buy my dc would have loved it. DD forever complains that you can't buy a hard boiled egg at a service station in the UK like you can in France!! Even if the LO hadn't liked the sausage meat there was something very nutritious in the middle.

Have just searched thread for recipe and can't find. Am guessing - lightly boiled eggs, dip in beaten egg, mould minced pork or very good quality sausage meat around the egg (not too seasoned or spicy for the children but for adults could put in lots of salt and pepper and some sage) dip in egg again and roll in bread crumbs - presumably fresh ones. Think I'd be tempted to bung in the deep fat fryer with some good oil but could do a combi of frying pan and oven. Is that about right OP. Never thought of making them at home and sound delish.

Hmm - a lovely home made snack or some pale grey tasteless white bread with something as a filling full of salt or whatever else. Know where i sit on this one! I always take carrot and cucumber sticks and an emergency bag of crisps just in case. Some parents are much more hung up about what their kids eat than others. One of mine spent 6 months only eating potato and cheese and my youngest wouldnt eat anything he had to chew until well over 1 but it didnt stop me giving them anything and everything to see what they did and did not like. Now my kids are 13,10 and 8 all eat a fantastically varied and balanced diet, perfect weight to height and healthy! Carry on with the scotch eggs i say!

mummymeister who makes sandwiches out of 'pale tasteless pale grey white bread'? I certainly don't. Sandwiches can be much healthier than scotch eggs, homemade or otherwise.

I would have been a bit taken aback if my child was presented with a scotch egg and a strawberry but wouldnt have said anything. I would make sure I packed my own lunch next time.

Once- BBC food one is the recipie. Except instead of DF frying, just fry off in pan untill breadcrumbs are toasted. Then put them in oven till meat cooked.

OK, so off tomorrow for a day out with friend and all dc's + extras!! So 2 ads and 5 ch. I have bought mini scotch eggs for the picnic (inspired by this thread) and my need to have one having tralked about them!. I told my friend I'd bought some mini scotch eggs. The 2 teens have gone yeaaahhhhh!! The 3 youngest 5,6 & 7 went and my friend was almost wetting herself in anticipation.

Worzel, I have a relative who shared your opinion about fussiness being down to the parents; rather smug about it, he was.

When his second child came along, somehow we didn't hear any more about how 'all you have to do is expose them to a wide variety of food', 'if you don't pander to them they will eat what they are given' etc.

Funny that.