2) The Sainsburys Selection

Earlier this evening I ate two Scotch Eggs back to back with the intention of scoring them out of 5. What has my life come to? I had been planning this for the majority of the afternoon, after a massively intense game of lunchtime 5-a-side football at work. After cycling the 5.5 miles home from Notting Hill with legs stiff as beansprouts (hopefully no ecoli) I thought I had earned this treat, and at a mere £1.74 for THREE of the bad boys, I wasn't complaining.



First up we have the Sainsburys Scotch Egg, which you can get two of for 75p. As you can see, the packaging doesn't scream out "EAT ME" or "I'M AN ESSENTIAL PURCHASE FOR YOUR WEEKLY SHOP" but that's just the way I like my snacks, underground and edgy. You can also see the condensation that has formed on the roof of the packet, and I think this is a factor that puts people off this mighty snack. The moisture.
Or is it the trapped air between the layer of pork and the egg?



I'm guessing when most people think of a Scotch Egg eater they think of Keith from The Office, and to be honest, I'm even repulsed by the sound such a beautiful piece of food craftsmanship makes in the above video. Fear not readers, this evening I used a knife.



Secondly we have the Sainsburys Taste the Difference Scotch Egg made with outdoor bred pork. Individually packaged, and placed in a simply delightful cardboard tray. They have gone to town here, and you can clearly see where my hard earned 99p has gone. Let me quote the synopsis from the packaging, "Our deluxe scotch egg has a British free range egg surrounded by traditionally seasoned outdoor-bred British pork, hand finished in a seeded multigrain breadcrumb." If you're not salivating after reading that alone, then you are a tasteless buffoon.



Not a massive difference in size, and by no means the scale of The Southamptons' colossal beast. The big standout for me was the "seeded multigrain breadcrumb" and the simple feel of the Taste the Difference Scotch Egg. Not the actual feel of it, but just the aura it gave off, the feeling I got from it, you know what I mean (it's a personal experience this comparing and contrasting malarkey)...



I'm tense even writing this, but then I just look at that picture and it calms me, what a spread! From this shot you can really see where the money has gone here. I'm not one to complain about the price of anything (unless it's a pint over £5), but I think it's justified in these supermarket purchases as to be honest, not a lot of time and effort has gone into making these. The subdued yellow yolk of the free range egg didn't look as appealing as the standard Sainsburys Scotch Eggs rich and golden orange, but have a butchers (no pun intended, honestly) at that Porky goodness inside the T the D vessel. The black pepper, the pork, the golden breadcrumb...

When I tucked in I certainly did Taste the Difference. It was delicious. The flavour of the seasoned pork lasted in your mouth longer, but wasn't overpowering. The texture was good. The egg was smooth and soothing. This was a SERIOUS Scotch Egg. The standard variety wasn't bad at all, it was simply overshadowed by something far superior. It could only be compared to the shadow the alien spacecraft cast over New York in Independence Day.

This gets a recommendation from me, but give the normal one a try too, it's not that bad. I just hope that Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum don't fire a Nuclear missile into the mainframe of the Taste the Difference factory though...

Sainsburys Scotch Egg



Sainsburys Taste the Difference Scotch Egg made with outdoor bred pork

1) The Southampton Arms

It was a Saturday afternoon, and I hadn't had a lot of sleep. My batteries were low, and I had been thinking about making this blog for some time, and in my hungover state I decided to take the first step.

It was a beautiful afternoon, and totally wasted on me being hungover. I was with Natalie having a bit of a stroll around the sights of our area, Camden Town. When most people think of Camden they think of greebos, the market and getting their photo taken with punks for a £1 or something. Oh, and those blokes that just sit on the street with bird whistles in their mouths tweeting away trying to flog them to gullible tourists.

Anyway, we had a stroll round Primrose Hill and arrived at The Albert. I like it in there and got all excited about the thought of having a Scotch Egg, then realised I'd had one of their home made Pork Pies before, not a Scotch Egg. We left. I was now hell bent on having one, when Natalie saved the day...

She mentioned The Southampton Arms in Kentish Town which she heard made them, and she wasn't wrong. It was the first time we had been there, and it's a fantastic pub. Loads of independent Lagers and Ales, a lovely little sun trap of a garden and a homely, comfortable interior. I arrived at the bar to put my order in and was hit with an absolute bombshell...

The Scotch Eggs were Vegetarian.

What a way to start a blog about Scotch Eggs, with an inferior one. Though to quote the great man himself (me) "every Scotch Egg is equal", so I continued.



It was big, nearly the size of a clenched fist, served on a metal plate with a small pot of mustard. I cut directly through the middle to reveal the beast in all its glory. A thin layer of breadcrumbs and a collection of barley, lentils, rice and seeds as a meat substitute.



It was tasty and I enjoyed it, but in all fairness, it was dry. Maybe it wasn't massively dry, but due to the size of it, it started to become a bit of a challenge to eat. The mustard was a nice touch, and in my opinion saved the day. I ate it all though (naturally), finished my CocaCola and left. I then thought to myself, how harshly am I going to mark such works of art? I'm usually quite generous with scoring stuff, but this has to change. This is a hub for debate and opinion, and I need to be honest. As my man Roy Walker said "It's good, but it's not right."

I'll start with the big question... Why?

And I will answer you simply... Why not?

I've been arguing my case for sometime now. The Scotch Egg is the mightiest snack of them all, no question. I don't know a lot about them (although I'm sure that on this pork and egg filled roller coaster I will become an expert), but all I do know is that they are unbelievable, and an absolute taste sensation.

People frown upon them, and maybe on this quest I will discover why.

You may choose something less nutritional maybe, such as a Double Decker or a Mars to snack on? Or maybe you like to get your health kicks and nibble on a banana or an apple? Maybe I don't have any standards? I casually walk down the street on the journey home from my local Sainsburys, tucking into a Scotch Egg like it's a piece of fruit.

The aim of the blog is simple... To hunt down and eat the best Scotch Eggs I can get my hands on. I'm open to suggestions of locations, supermarkets, delis, markets, service stations, literally ANYWHERE that sells the little beauties. To me, every Scotch Egg is equal, weather it be purchased in Tescos, or finely crafted in a restaurant. They all deserve their place in the Scotch Egg world of fame, this here blog.

So this is it, my journey has begun. I will enjoy documenting it for you all, and so will my tummy.

Thanks for reading,

David