Maybe something to consider when the hens are being over generous.

The principles of pickling eggs are pretty similar to pickling anything else. Vinegar + spices/seasoning + item to be pickled = pickled item. Cucumber, beetroot, cabbage, eggs - even pigs feet can be and are pickled. With eggs, be a bit more careful about sterilising the jar and you do have the option of waffling over what sort of vinegar to use. I bought pickling vinegar, which essentially just means that they did the smelly bit for me and I didn't have to boil the spices in the vinegar to get the flavours to mix. IF (big 'if') pickled eggs turn out to be a new tasty treat that I love, I'll feel better about stinking out the kitchen with vinegar fumes and re-write a recipe to illustrate how to do it totally from scratch.

Pickled red cabbage, don't knock it till you try it.

This recipe is pretty tiny. Sincere apologies if I'm failing to meet expectations but from basing public demand for pickled eggs on the age of the specimen I sampled at that pub, I felt pretty safe by starting small. If you are a pickled produce fiend, feel free to get a bigger jar and cram in as many eggs in as you like, just also add more flavourings and such.

You'll need:
A sterilised jar large
Enough vinegar to cover the eggs- about 400 ml
2-3 Eggs, hard boiled, depending on size.
Spices, seasonings and herbs of your choice. I used:
 a bunch of dill
1 clove garlic
a crushed chili
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp mustard seeds and a dash of black pepper

Place the eggs in the jar and sprinkle over your seasonings then add the vinegar and put in the fridge for anything from one day to 3 weeks. Some recipes I read said that you could get away with storing the pickled eggs out of the fridge but for now I'll stick with the good old fridge. Baby steps.


Do be advised that these things kick up a bit. Friends, lovers, -even dogs will fail to be impressed with the pungent eggy fumes when you bite into one of these. Keep breath mints in hand and avoid at all costs when eating out, unless the you're looking for an eccentric means to end a date very very badly. This is all based solely on that previous pub egg. The jury's out on just how potent these will be. I'll let you know after this weekend.

.....Or sooner.



I couldn't take it anymore and just went ahead and tried one. I can't say they looked particularly tempting, but my impulsive nature took over and with only enough sense to open a few windows, I dived in and fished one out. What followed is best summed up in an excerpt from the email I send to a friend last night:

'Erm, pickled eggs... Unlike the pub one, my homemade version had some teeth to it and was a total vinegar bomb. Ick. I only thought it might be something good because a. they are in like, every pub are they not? and b. because I love pickled onions so much. I thought that maybe this was a sort of sick but natural step forward from those.'

So yes. My honest opinion is not the most surprising; pickled eggs are not especially tasty. I might try another recipe, perhaps using a more mellow vinegar when my egg basket next overfloweth, but until then, I'll stick to the crisps.