Fortnum & Masons, the famous London department store, claims to have invented Scotch eggs. In the 1730s, Fortnum’s had to create foods to suit its wealthy customers, whose far-flung country estates could only be reached by long-distance coach rides. Portable snacks were in demand, so Fortnum’s came up with a number of ideas, including wrapping a hard-boiled egg – which in those days was probably a pullet’s egg – in sausage meat and coating it in fried breadcrumbs. They claim that the name has nothing to do with Scotland; ‘scotched’ was merely another word for ‘processed’.

My version is perfect for those of us who are wheat and gluten intolerant. Unlike many gluten-free recipes, it actually tastes good.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes