Excellent Eggs

I´m a bit of an egg fan. They are pretty much part of my daily diet, usually in the form of an egg mayonnaise sandwich for breakfast.

I get my eggs from a nearby stall on the Jogiwara Road and I buy 30 at a time for Rs75 (just under GBP1). They´re alright and consistently the best in the village, but like all Indian eggs, the yolks are a very subtle shade of a very weak yellow. This is the case whether here in Dharamsala or the metropolis of Delhi. I guess life for chickens in India is particularly traumatic.

Part of my Mum´s spoiling campaign on my recent trip to UK was to initiate me into the delights of Clarence Court eggs. These are like the Rolls Royce of the egg world.

Indeed these chickens seem to be treated accordingly with a comprehensive ethics policy which is not dissimilar to the Bill Of Rights. Enough to put any 40+ year old white South African to shame.

Like all Rolls Royce however, they don´t come cheaply. GBP1.80 will get you six from Waitrose supermarket (if they are in stock – they sell more like the proverbial hot cakes!).

Clarence Court specialise in old traditional pedigree breeds, related more closely to the original jungle fowl than the commercial hybrids used in battery farming techniques.

The yolks are an amazing fluorescent golden orange and are totally delicious, especially when scrambled daily by mum daily, with accompanying smoked salmon and cheese croissants. Now that´s spoilt!

You can check out the chickens on their webcam by clicking here.