Star Inn chef Andrew Pern suggests some egg-citing recipes for Easter

Eggs are a classic nursery food, but these two recipes reclaim eggs for the grown-ups. They also give alternatives to the usual hen’s egg, although they would work perfectly well with those too – or even, pheasant eggs, which are now in season (so it would be a good time to befriend a local gamekeeper).

The first recipe uses gull’s eggs, which have a beautiful blue-ish tinged shell surrounding a deep-yellow yolk with only a thin layer of white; a heavenly combination with asparagus.

Interestingly, gull’s eggs are slightly pointed, so don’t roll out of the nest, which is very important if your nest is on the side of a cliff, but also works well with an egg cup, although preferably not on the side of a cliff as that would be pretty dangerous and slightly crazy.

My second recipe combines lightly scrambled duck egg, with chopped wild garlic (which is now ripe for the picking in woods and on riverbanks), folded through the delicately cooked eggs, sprinkled with the odd fungus with brain-like features.

It could be a meal in itself for a very robust breakfast or brunch, and with the breast of the duck added, it is still light, but formidable. Try it!

Have a great Easter!

Gull’s egg with Sand Hutton asparagus, anchovy mayonnaise, fennel shoots

Serves: four

Ingredients

4 gull’s eggs

16 asparagus spears

A little melted butter

A little black pepper

For the mayonnaise:

30g marinaded anchovies, finely chopped

2 hen egg yolks

1 tsp English mustard

50ml Wharfe Valley rapeseed oil

Juice from ½ lemon

salt and white pepper

To garnish:

50g fennel shoots

Method

First prepare the mayonnaise, by combining the egg yolks and mustard in a food processor, then gently drizzling in the oil. When emulsified, add the anchovies and lemon juice, then blitz for 30 seconds. Check seasoning and pour into four small pots.

Place the gull’s eggs into cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 5½ minutes, then lift out and place on to a paper towel.

While the eggs are cooking,drop the asparagus spears into boiling, salted water for two minutes. Remove, when cooked. Place on a paper towel and brush lightly with melted butter and season.

Gently ‘saw’ off the tops of the eggs and place into egg cups. Place each egg cup on to a plate with a pot of the Mayonnaise, and four asparagus spears. Sprinkle a little black pepper on to the egg and arrange a few fennel shoots around the plate. Serve immediately.

Pan-roast breast of ‘Loose Birds’ duck with its own scrambled egg, wild garlic and morel mushrooms, sherry gravy

Serves: four

Ingredients

4 duck breasts

4 duck eggs

100ml whipping cream

100g butter for the egg and for frying

50g Morel mushrooms

100g wild garlic leaves, finely chopped

Seasoning

20ml sweet sherry

200ml veal stock

Method

Heat a frying pan, season the duck breasts with salt and pepper, and place into the pan, skin side down. Dry-fry until the skin is crisp, then turn over and cook for approximately 4 to 5 minutes until pink. Lift out of the pan and leave to rest.

To make the gravy, first reduce the veal stock by half, then add the sherry and allow to continue to reduce to the required consistency.

Next, fry the mushrooms in melted butter until soft, season and add the wild garlic leaves. Fry until the garlic begins to wilt, then remove from the heat.

For the scrambled egg, break the eggs into a bowl, add seasoning, a little cream and butter, and whisk. Warm a pan and heat the mixture, stirring constantly until the mix comes together.

Slice the duck and place on a warmed plate, place the scrambled egg into an egg cup or alongside, if you so desire, sprinkle the fried wild garlic mushrooms over the duck and finish off by pouring over the sauce. Serve immediately.