Last Words

The best curried eggs ever

I bought a dozen eggs today. It felt like a breach of contract, but our balding hens have better things to expend their energy on — most notably new feathers — than our breakfast.

I have a dozen hens. They're a motley crew of brown Shavers, who reliably lay an egg a day, and heirloom beauties who don't.

The brown Shavers are still laying an egg a day. Unfortunately, they've taken to reliably laying those eggs anywhere but in the nesting boxes of our posh hen house. I've found eggs in our shed, in the neighbour's hay barn, the herb garden, and under a bush.

In summer, we can't keep up with all the eggs we get, so the diminishing egg supply-and-demand situation in winter feels like a relief. Space clears in the fridge. We can eat porridge with bottled plums for breakfast instead of eggs-over-easy, softboiled or scrambled.

If I'm asked to bring a plate in winter,

I feel no guilt showing up with store-bought sausage rolls and homemade sweet chilli sauce.

But at any other time of the year, my standby is savoury eggs. Few mouthfuls are as moreish. Also known as delectably delicious devilled eggs, they're the first to get scoffed at funerals, golfing luncheons, and garden club get-togethers, long before the salmon blini, fancy sliders, and mini mince pies.

A couple of years ago, I hosted a fundraiser at Foggydale Farm for the school gardening charity, The Garden to Table Trust. I twisted the arm of celebrity chef, restaurateur, author, tv personality, and Garden to Table ambassador Al Brown to join us for a moolah-raising morning tea.

Having been asked to bring a plate, Al decided on passionfruit lamingtons and curried eggs.

“Them better be some fancy eggs,” I thought, though I've never met a curried egg – hot or cold – I didn't like, and sure enough, Al's savoury eggs were high on

■ the culinary ladder. Recommended.