EGGS!!!

[mandryka]

Maybe someone can tell me the best way to buy supermarket eggs -- I mean, best for flavour really. What I do at the moment is:

1. Remove any which are not "free range" or "organic" from consideration.
2. Choose the eggs with the furthest away "use by" date.

Is there a better algorithm.

 

[Rob998]

Is there a better algorithm.

Probably not.

We get ours from the milkman and they always seem fresher than the supermarket ones, yolk more perky and no hint of runny whites.

We did consider getting a couple of hens at one point but realised very quickly we couldn't be arsed.

 

[Gingerbeard]

Eggs are amazing things - I eat at least 2 a day, every day. The way I see it, they are full of all the ingredients that goes into creating a life, a chicken in this case, which can only be a good thing. I never eat them raw so salmonella is not a concern

 

[Rockmeister]

honest to goodness...eggs...some people can make a meal out of any subject! Hoho.
I love an egg, and if you have a decent sized garden, get chickens. OFC they have their share of problems. Its like dogs....if you don't want problems get either a moingrel (far less neurosis hahaha) or get a breed well know for being a bit tough and reliable.

 

[Barrymagrec]

honest to goodness...eggs...some people can make a meal out of any subject! Hoho.
I love an egg, and if you have a decent sized garden, get chickens. OFC they have their share of problems. Its like dogs....if you don't want problems get either a moingrel (far less neurosis hahaha) or get a breed well know for being a bit tough and reliable.

Like a Jack Russel, you mean?

 

[wacko]

Maybe someone can tell me the best way to buy supermarket eggs -- I mean, best for flavour really. What I do at the moment is:

1. Remove any which are not "free range" or "organic" from consideration.
2. Choose the eggs with the furthest away "use by" date.

Is there a better algorithm.

I have a simpler algorithm: just buy Burford Browns.

 

[eguth]

Eggs are amazing things - I eat at least 2 a day, every day. The way I see it, they are full of all the ingredients that goes into creating a life, a chicken in this case, which can only be a good thing. I never eat them raw so salmonella is not a concern

I only ate raw eggs once, when the carton broke in my bag. That said, raw eggs are the most nutritious form: if you avoid the disease(es).

That is why I go for the next best...soft boiled.

 

[eguth]

I have a simpler algorithm: just buy Burford Browns.

I tried them. And other Clarence Court eggs. Not as tasty as LIDL organic. Also, I believe that the deep orange yolks are induced by feeding marigold or some other plant(s).

 

[Bob McC]

I always start everyday with two free range organic eggs scrambled on wholemeal toast.
Don’t need lunch then.

 

[MUTTY1]

We have bought our first six eggs from the supermarket in probably twenty years. The locals have been shut down by incredibly restrictive legislation. I don’t know if it’s over the top or not. One place we bought from were told the had to hand clean their fencing, strand by strand. We are known as a nation as being a bit anal about following the letter of the law so I didn’t find this anecdote too far fetched TBH.

 

[deanf]

Here’s my take:

1st. Waitrose Duchy Organic
2nd. Tesco Bluebell Aurancana
3rd. Happy Egg Co.

 

[mjw]

restrictive legislation.

If you can find a hobby hen-keeper you should find good eggs from happy hens. I'm fairly sure the raft of regs. around flu don't apply to anyone with fewer than 50 birds.

 

[stevec67]

We have bought our first six eggs from the supermarket in probably twenty years. The locals have been shut down by incredibly restrictive legislation. I don’t know if it’s over the top or not. One place we bought from were told the had to hand clean their fencing, strand by strand. We are known as a nation as being a bit anal about following the letter of the law so I didn’t find this anecdote too far fetched TBH.

It's not OTT to have controls on bird flu, it's a real problem right now. I suspect that the fence story is someone misunderstand ing the guidance or similarly being rather silly. The relevant disinfectant (Perbac Agri is approved) sprayed on surfaces at risk will suffice. Yes, it needs to be put on every surface in affected areas, and that does mean every fence wire if you get an infected bird within whatever the distance is at present.

 

[stevec67]

If you can find a hobby hen-keeper you should find good eggs from happy hens. I'm fairly sure the raft of regs. around flu don't apply to anyone with fewer than 50 birds.

The legal requirement only starts at 50 birds, you are right, but the guidance is the same.

 

[Hazelberry]

I once worked on a free range egg farm. I think the breed was Hi-Line. Egg size was related to the age of the hen: the older the bird, the bigger the egg. The death rate accelerated at the hens aged & a flock would be culled after 18 months.

Don’t be fooled by the term “free range”. Where I worked the birds were concentrated tightly in a large shed with a small paddock beside. The death rate was much higher than for caged birds. They had favourite nesting boxes in which many were smothered. Weak hens were killed & cannibalised by others. Disease outbreaks, while rare, were treated with flock culls.

 

[Mike Reed]

The best-tasting eggs are the freshest. From (garden) chook to cook in under an hour. Oddly, fresh hard-boiled eggs are a pain to peel. A tennis colleague keeps chooks and sells them yo the players (incl. me a few years ago). Shells were fragile a broke easily and flavour wasn't anything to write home about, so keeping chickens is not the important factor; varied nutrition etc is.

 

[Nero]

Longstock Gold. Nice duck-egg blue.

oh

 

[richardg]

There's Burford Browns and then the rest, according to my taste buds,

 

[MUTTY1]

Only tried Chesnut Maran so far. Fine, but twice the normal quid per six.

If you can find a hobby hen-keeper you should find good eggs from happy hens. I'm fairly sure the raft of regs. around flu don't apply to anyone with fewer than 50 birds.

Point taken but both are suppliers got infected within two weeks of each other, one of which was doing 40 birds. Also hobby outfits supply is shaky this time of year. You go two miles down some single track only to find someone’s there before you or they’re not laying

 

[Vinny]

I once worked on a free range egg farm. I think the breed was Hi-Line. Egg size was related to the age of the hen: the older the bird, the bigger the egg. The death rate accelerated at the hens aged & a flock would be culled after 18 months.

Don’t be fooled by the term “free range”. Where I worked the birds were concentrated tightly in a large shed with a small paddock beside. The death rate was much higher than for caged birds. They had favourite nesting boxes in which many were smothered. Weak hens were killed & cannibalised by others. Disease outbreaks, while rare, were treated with flock culls.

The stocking rates for free range is very similar to the rate for the current colony cages. With free range, the birds have a shed and a paddock, but most prefer the dry warm shed for most of the time - they are free to come and go as they please.
In recent years, individual producers of free range eggs have teneded to avoid the breeds used for cages and use stock selected for the housing/flock size.

Speaking to a farmer friend last week, his neighbour was one of the largest producers of enriched-cage-produced eggs in the UK - he was wiped-out by bird flu a couple of weeks back - I beleive he had 140,000 layers - there was a wood-chipper running for a week, filling skips with minced whole chicken.
He beleives that at least two other big outfits in E Anglia have also been wiped-out - which is why supermarkets have had very few eggs for the past month, at least around here.