We had eggy bread this morning, for the first time in ages, and remembered how delicious they were. For those who have never tried them they are slices of bread, soaked in beaten egg and shallow fried (just a touch of olive or sunflower oil.) A smear of tomato sauce completes the recipe.

An old war recipe book has recipes where powdered egg has to be used instead of fresh eggs which were in short supply. It got me thinking about the amount of eggs we use. Omelettes for an easy tea, scrambled for breakfast, poached, fried egg sandwiches, souffle, cakes; it would be very hard to do without them. Dealing with powdered egg must have been an absolute pain.

My mum gave me an old cookery book published by the egg marketing board in 1969 with recipes for eggs. The introduction begins ‘What is an Egg?’ An egg is an ellipsoid which is, funnily enough, something that is egg-shaped. Starting from this basic fact…..’ The book includes everything from how to boil an egg to 158 recipes including icings, sauces, curried eggs and quiches.

An acorn also an ellipsoid and contains the oak tree, the creatures which will live in its brances and even the families who will enjoy the shade while the egg contains a huge variety of sweet and savoury meals and the associated parties, weddings and funerals.

Even veggies (though not vegans) eat eggs and more and more people are choosing organic free range rather than battery eggs, reaping their rewards in the taste.