Category Archives: The Contenders

A mini Scotch eggggg, well, erm… not really. There’s no egg. Instead chestnuts are the surprise at the centre. An unusual step away from the traditional Scotch egg we’re used to. As The Handmade Scotch Egg Company say: “We Brits seem devoted to smoked foods, stemming (we imagine) from our distant past when smoking would be a method of preservation. It’s now been raised to gourmet heights with artisan smokehouses popping up in every region.”

The chestnut is rather dry which is a shame, but there’s a nice crunch. A real shame when something is substituted and moves away from the original, and just doesn’t work. The smoked bacon used however is lovely. Oaky, smokey and an embezzler of the senses. There’s an over-riding palette-stealer of smoky bacon. An interesting festive twist on the popular snack.

Price: £2.75

Overall: 3/5

This Blitzen Scotch egg (Blitzen derives from Germanic word  for ‘lightning’) is another example which uses slices of turkey around the egg. Like the Rudolph Scotch egg, Blitzen has a lick of sweetness in the form of cranberries. An “award winning” onion marmalade offers a pleasant tang, however it’s the slivers of candied peel which add real sweetness and results in the lasting flavour. It’s the taste of orange in the mouth, which is not the most pleasant match with meat and breadcrumbs. The sweet sensation soon turns metallic and there’s too much going on in the mouth, with not enough of it good.

Price: £2.85

Overall: 2/5

Rudolph – the most famous of all reindeers – has been forever immortalised in the shape of a cranberry Scotch egg. Lucky bugger! He has his own meaty morsel for those Christmas Eve adventures. There’s a substantial rim of free-range Saddleback sausage meat cushioning a well boiled egg with a fluorescent orange yolk. Sprinklings of dried cranberries add sweet, festive notes and are as glowing as the illustrious nose of Rudolph.

Price: £2.85

Overall: 3.5/5

The Prancer Scotch egg is a beautiful looking specimen; it’s hefty with a good, thick rim of sausage meat doted with seasoning. There’a lot going on with bacon, barley, oatmeal, leeks and spices all present causing a “schizophrenic recipe”. Chunks of bacon mix with finely chopped leeks. Oatmeal is evident and the mix of spices lift the flavour yet again. The result is a plate of dinner rolled into a single Scotch egg. The egg itself is large and creamy, thus aiding in the binding of ingredients.

Price: £2.75

Overall: 3/5

This is a variation of the Vegetabularian Scotch egg. Rather sneakily however, slices of festive turkey have sneaked in and lurk in every bite. It’s described as a “hybrid” between the popular Vegetabularian and a meat Scotch egg. Again there is a good portion of meat used to cushion the egg, seasoned with parsley, lemon rind, salt, black pepper, garlic, mustard powered, and nutmeg. There’s something mirthful about the use of nutmeg. It offers a slight sweetness with an exciting sensory quality.

Mature grated cheddar is used (8%) for its binding use and adds a depth of flavour, while a small offering of sun-dried tomatoes (3%), lifts the pallet again to a sweeter sensation and is a good mix with turkey.

Price: £2.85

Overall: 2.5/5