Pickled Eggs

Back in 1960s Britain, it was natural to walk into a pub and order a couple of homemade pickled eggs to go with your pint.

Old stagers would eat them on their own, heavily peppered; new converts dropped them into packets of crisps and sometimes doused them with Worcestershire sauce. These days the real thing is a rarity.

There are a couple of useful tips about handling fresh eggs. First, the best way to shell them cleanly is to leave them in cold salted water for several hours after they have been boiled. Also, when they are being boiled its worth stirring them round occasionally to keep the yolks in the centre of the eggs.

12 fresh free-range eggs (approx)

25g (1oz) fresh root ginger, peeled

1x15ml spoon (1 tbsp) white peppercorns

2x5ml spoons (2 tsp) allspice berries

900ml-1.2 litres (1½ — 2 pints) white vinegar

3 fresh red or green chillies

Put the eggs in cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the eggs are ready, drain them and leave in a bowl of cold salted water until ready to peel.

Tie the ginger, white peppercorns and allspice in a piece of muslin and boil in the vinegar for 5 minutes.

Remove the spice bag and set aside the vinegar to cool.

Peel the eggs, pack into wide-mouthed jars and cover with the cold spiced vinegar. Add a chilli or two for colour and bite. Seal and store for a month before opening.