AIBU...Burford Brown Eggs...what else compares?

[TwinsandTrifle]

Please help. We get through so many eggs and the only ones we've found and loved are the Burford Browns which are £4.50 for ten. We use at least a box a day (5 of us.) We've tried all local recommendations of "oh the most wonderful eggs from the farm shop/at the side of the road" and honestly, they've all been crap in comparison.

On the basis that (unless you live next door to us and don't want to give location away in case outing) local recommendations aren't really of any help, has anyone found nationally available eggs that are as good or surpass Burfords? Must be some way to get our eggs for less than £35 a week!

I was also one of those that would rather go without unless the eggs were Burford Browns. However, in desperation at being unable to find them last year I tried Morrisons The Best Maran Heritage free range eggs and unbelievably they are even better with an even more orangey yolk and delicious taste. I think they are about £1.80 for 6. Seriously, give them a try as there is no one I know as fussy as me about the perfect boiled egg with buttery soldiers!

@WaterOffADucksCrack

You're spending more than my monthly take home pay on brand name eggs. It doesn't sound like money is an issue for you if you're wealthy enough to afford that!

For me, nothing beats my partner's colleagues eggs from his chicken. I've seen where they live/what they eat/how they are treated etc. Yes I've tried the eggs that you are talking about, I just find that the people I know who bang on about them are usually being snobs (Not saying you are, this is just my experience).

I tried those eggs as someone from work was banging on about how she would never eat or feed anyone any other eggs so maybe I'd had them hyped up too much? Anyway I wouldn't try them again as, like a pp said, I assume prince charles has something to do with them and I don't want to add to his wealth any more than I do through tax. I don't like him anyway as I believe he is racist and if he isn't a paedo himself, he was friends with a paedo and had a hand in ensuring that he only got a caution for ruining at least 18 children's lives, one of whom committed suicide. It makes me sick that people buy products related to him.

If your monthly take home pay is less than £140 you must only work about 16 hours a month! I

Clarence Court have nothing to do with Prince Charles. Are you getting mixed up with Clarence House, his London residence?!

CC was founded by a bloke named Clarence www.clarencecourt.co.uk/the-name-behind-the-crown/

HaveringWavering I realised after I posted that I'd got my maths very wrong. I didn't post an update as having dyslexia has always made me feel very stupid and I don't like to point it out as I just feel such a sense of shame like I used to in maths class whenever I get my maths wrong.

Sorry everyone I feel like an absolute idiot.

Hey it's only a lighthearted thread about eggs @WaterOffADucksCrack

We're not snobs we just love food! We're off to an excellent place for lunch tomorrow for a steak tartare as it's my fave, but then Sunday night, we had an enormous KFC!

Food is a big part of our family. I love sourcing great ingredients. I love cooking. DH and the children really appreciate what I make. I get a huge satisfaction from watching the children genuinely enjoy the different meals we have. Equally, we love a takeaway. How we're not fat is beyond me.

I've ordered all kinds of eggs from St Ewe, once we've tried those, I'll try the Aldi blue, and the Morrisons Maran for size and report back.

Also, you buggers best not be snapping up the sodding Burfords now. Went to supermarket today, and the usually full-ish shelf was down to last 3 boxes.

Dear God, what have I done...

Burford brown eggs are gorgeous! I order them from my milkman. Yum.

St Ewe rich yolk free range eggs are nice too.

I thought that particular middle class fad had gone the way of allotments a good ten years ago.

There's a 10 year wait for an allotment where I live, definitely no fad of the past and lots of city garden chickens that pre date lockdown. DD's school even have them.

I could have predicted this would turn in to a competitive eating, mind your cholesterol thread (so wrong, that advice was changed years ago) but one egg omelette? Don't think I've made them since dc were pre age 1.

I must try these eggs. I noticed yesterday when eating my (2) fried eggs (M&S) at breakfast that they were pretty tasteless. I wondered if it was the way I was cooking them but how can you get a fried egg wrong? When I had eggs at our hotel last week they tasted delicious but I'm sore they will just use bulk bought cheaper eggs . Any suggestions?

I love how you've totally embraced this @twinsandtrifle and I'm fascinated to see the results from all the different ones (makes me feel like I want to do a little research project myself with feeding mine, oh and getting more hens for me, just for comparison's sake you know 😉)!

I bloody hate poached eggs but everyone else in the house loves them so have also appreciated the tips for making those!

We love the Burfords too. They tend to be cheaper in Sainsburys than Waitrose though the latter currently have two for £5 on boxes of 6.

Also not getting the hand-wringing over eating eggs daily. We have two eggs each most days. I'm also on Slimming World currently where you can eat as many eggs as you like!

I bloody hate poached eggs but everyone else in the house loves them so have also appreciated the tips for making those!
Water in a shallowish pan, rolling boil. The most important thing is to put your egg in a sieve first to get rid of any watery stuff. Swirl the water into a vortex & gently plop the egg into the centre. Cook for 3 or 4 mins. Perfect every time.

When I had eggs at our hotel last week they tasted delicious but I'm sore they will just use bulk bought cheaper eggs

Maybe the hotel doesn't use cheap eggs - a lot do make a thing about using good quality produce. Plus those St Ewes eggs bought online seem quite reasonably priced if you can order enough to reduce the impact of the £6 postage cost.

I bloody hate poached eggs but everyone else in the house loves them so have also appreciated the tips for making those

Let the people who like poached eggs make them? As long as at least one of them is about 10+, absolutely no need for you to get involved.

Maybe the hotel doesn't use cheap eggs - a lot do make a thing about using good quality produce. Plus those St Ewes eggs bought online seem quite reasonably priced if you can order enough to reduce the impact of the £6 postage cost.

Maybe not but the same goes for any served breakfast really. I doubt Tesco cafe or the the local greasy spoon use Buford browns for example.

My other top tip for poached eggs is that a slotted spoon never seems to drain away the water well enough and nobody wants damp toast, so I always fold a sheet of kitchen towel up to quarter size and put the egg on to that to drain briefly before serving.

@rantymcrantface66 this may sound obvious but do you fry your eggs in salted butter? If not, I highly recommend it. That may be the rich taste you’re missing.

Yes my poached eggs always go onto kitchen roll for a few seconds before into plate too, otherwise there's still residual water hidden in there somewhere and you get a runny plate.

I like poached eggs, but underdone whites make me feel ill. I can never seem to get the perfect combination of cooked white but runny yolk.

Oh you are being partly sucked in by the marketing - thoe colour of the eggs and the yolk are very appealing.

But the difference is that they are probably clever enough to feed the marans lucerne, aka alfalfa, a green food used with all sorts of animals, easily available. We did that for a few years with our chickens, it makes a huge difference.

And I hate to tell you but they enhance the shell colour too!

I have hens, bantams-their eggs are the best. But when they are broody we buy Burfords or the farm eggs next door.

It’s just a breed, you just need to find a local source of that breed or pay the price. But they will always cost more as cost of production is higher as not from a commercial hen.

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Oh you are being partly sucked in by the marketing - thoe colour of the eggs and the yolk are very appealing.

But the difference is that they are probably clever enough to feed the marans lucerne, aka alfalfa, a green food used with all sorts of animals, easily available. We did that for a few years with our chickens, it makes a huge difference.

And I hate to tell you but they enhance the shell colour too!

No they don't, shell colour is down to genetics.

I had marans @Newfluff. I said they enhance th colour, not that the colour is false. The natural shell colour is good, but not that consistently dark. They may add a little shine or something when they process them.

They do sort them by colour, they sell Waitrose the paler shelled ones - or used to. Same birds, same egg, same yolk, just paler shelled every now and then - due to age, well being, stress, change in food etc.

I buy a tray of 30 free range eggs a week from the local farm shop. They are always delicious.

Showing my ignorance here . I live in the West Country near a large Tesco. I buy St Ewe eggs there all the time. And love them. Are Buford browns better? Can you not buy St Ewe in Tesco’s anywhere?
Have I just not realised how lucky I am to have StEwe eggs on my doorstep at £3,50 a dozen I think? Or am I missing out not trying burford browns and if so where do I get them?

@itcouldhave and @TwinsandTrifle

Tricks for a brilliant poached egg.

1. Use as fresh an egg as possible, at room temperature.
2. Get the water to a rolling boil and add a squirt of lemon juice or white vinegar
3. Break the egg into the pan as close to the side as possible

4 cook for 2 min. ( if you like a hard egg cook for 3 min 5 use a slotted spoon to remove egg and put it in a bowl of cold water . 6 repeat 3-5 above for each egg needed . 7 keep the water simmering 8 . When just about ready to serve toast all buttered etc. Use the slotted spoon to return all the eggs to the pan and cook for a further minute. 9 use a slotted spoon to retrieve egg and rest spoon briefly on kitchen paper each time to drain excess water and serve . 10. Eat a perfect poached egg.