Watercress Scotch Eggs

Method (Makes 4)

Put a pan of water on the hob and bring it to the boil. Lower four of the eggs into the pan and simmer for 9 minutes. Take the eggs from the water, crack the shells gently and leave to cool in cold water (it makes the eggs much easier to peel). Peel the eggs and lightly dust with some of the flour.

Chop the watercress finely – ideally in a blender. Put it in a bowl with the sausage meat and mix by hand until thoroughly combined. Divide this evenly in four. Take a quarter of the sausage meat and press it flat in the palm of your hand. Take one of the hard-boiled eggs and place it at the centre of the sausage meat, folding it round to encase the egg. Repeat until each egg is completely covered.

Put the breadcrumbs on a tray and mix with the dried thyme, salt and pepper. Crack the raw egg into a bowl and beat until smooth. In another bowl, put the remaining flour. Taking each scotch egg in turn, dust with the flour, then dip in the beaten egg so that it’s fully covered, then coat all over with breadcrumbs.

To cook your eggs, heat about 5cm oil in a saucepan until it is very hot. Test it by adding a small piece of bread – the fat is hot enough when the bread starts to brown after a few seconds. You want to cook the eggs for 4 minutes on one side and then gently turn them over and cook for a further 4 minutes.

Take the eggs out of the pan and allow to drain on kitchen paper. If you aren’t going to eat them immediately, leave them to cool before storing them in the fridge.

Images by Lara Jane Thorpe photography