As you know I had to find a new home for my chickens which meant I had to find a new source for my eggs. I tried the farmers market but I wasn’t keen as the man who sells the eggs also sells battery eggs. I didn’t actually realise this until I looked closely at the eggs and saw the number 3 stamp which means caged hens. The eggs were just advertised under ‘fresh farm eggs’ so i can imagine some people would buy them thinking they were from happy hens… this is a farmers market after all!
Anyway now life is good again. I’ve found a lady who is supplying me with fresh eggs from her little hen family. The hens are free to roam and are well looked after so its good for everyone.
So why am I telling you this? Its all to do with my yorkshire puddings! I’ve always had success with yorkshire puds that are well risen but for the short period when I was having to buy my eggs from the supermarket (I was buying large organic ones and looking for the longest sell by dates) they were just average. I didn’t think much of it as I don’t really measure my ingredients so the recipe is never quite the same.
Then last weekend after getting my eggs from my friend and making up the puds I found that I was back to the well risen ones I used to make.
Maybe its a silly idea but I wonder if eggs from happy hens are slightly different? Could the fact that caged hens may be stressed make any difference? I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this but I have to say i’m happy that I’m getting good puds again and I’m eating eggs from happy birds.
I just wish I could get them to stay in a nice round shape lol!
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June 2, 2008 at 11:21 am
Nicola
Mutant Yorkshires lol
June 2, 2008 at 12:18 pm
shirleyuk
Nicola I know lol! They start off rising all nice and circular and then all of a sudden they explode into all sorts of shapes! Now i’m not complaining as its better than having them not rise but they aint pretty…. ooh they are gorgeous though!
June 2, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Kadeeeae
I couldn’t possibly comment, I’ve never made them myself – they may look a bit odd, but tasty!
I’ve wondered about the eggs myself. My cakes always seem so much better with the free range eggs! I haven’t used ‘barn’ eggs for a long time now, but I remember thinking when I switched to the free range that anything ‘cakey’ tasted so much nicer and fluffier too!
Not just me then!
June 2, 2008 at 5:25 pm
shirleyuk
Hi Kadeeeae
I’m glad that i’m not going mad, or maybe both of us are lol!
They do look a bit odd and they rise so high we have to have them sideways on our plates! I’m just showing off now
June 3, 2008 at 9:37 am
indiebird
Hi Shirley,
I am sure there is something in this. I was buying really fresh eggs from my lovely ladies in the market here but unfortunately a few weeks ago they had a nasty accident where a car hit their van badly injuring the mamma (she is on the mend now thank goodness) so there have been no eggs available and I have been forced to go to the supermarket. I still buy the free-range organic eggs (for a small flipping fortune too!!) but they are just not the same as those that my ladies normally sell which are just soooo fresh and laid by thechickens that just wander around the farmyard all day and my cakes are not the same, let alone my pancakes and my omlettes. Get well soon lovely ladies and get back out there into the markets again.