From London, with love: Scotch eggs

Life is like baking.
You evolve step by step. Sometimes you don't notice things (or yourself) moving forward, then one day you wake up and everything is different and you have almost no idea how it happened.

One day you can't speak proper English and the next you realise you dream and joke in English.
One day you're scared to talk to strangers, and the next you see yourself giving speeches in front of a crowd.

What feels like just yesterday, another attempt at baking cookies was a disaster and I'd just become single and heart-broken (again), and today I'm baking cookies as good as Ben's cookies and I'm moving in with The Wonferful Man.

Where did that come from?
My life has changed so much, and it's been so easy and natural that I haven't noticed.

It must be a good sign, mustn't it?

Scotch eggs

Scotch eggs are one of these British dishes that can be marvelous if they're well-made, and absolutely hideous if they aren't. I'm very proud to report that these were amazing! 
They're said to date from the 18th century. They consist of a soft boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat (I made a mix of pork and black pudding), coated in bread crumbs and deep fried. Traditionally eaten for pic nics, Scotch eggs can also be enjoyed as snack in a pub with a beer, or "on the go" like a cornish pasty.
I can't believe I managed to time the cooking of the eggs right so the yolks would still be soft, but I did it! 

Ingredients 
(make 6 Scotch eggs)

6 eggs
250g lean mince pork ( I used Waitrose's)
250g black pudding
Dried thyme, oregano, chili flakes, black pepper and salt
2 eggs beaten
100g breadcrumbs
4tbsp plain flour
Oil, for deep frying

Make the Scotch eggs

1/ Place the 6 eggs in cold water in a pan, bring to the boil and boil for 5min. Cool under running cold water and remove the shells

2/ Mix the mince pork and black pudding in a large bowl, add the seasoning (mix of thyme, oregano, chili flakes, pepper and salt - approx 1,5 tsp in total). 

3/ Divide the meat mixture into 6 balls and flatten each portion into patties with slightly wet hands (so they don't stick). 

4/ Wrap each egg in a patty, making sure the patty is sealed all around the egg and delicately rolling the ball in your hands to smooth and even the coating. 

5/ Prepare in 3 different deep plates or bowl the flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs. Deep each ball in the flour (all around), then in the beaten egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Place the Scotch egg on a plate, and repeat until all Scotch eggs are ready.

6/ Heat the frying oil in a pan to 170deg C (it's ready when a bread crumb thrown into the oil starts frying), and deep fry the Scotch eggs in batches (of 2 or 3 depending of the size of your pan) for 5 min. Drain on paper towel to soak up the extra oil, and eat warm or cold. (I fried mine in the morning and re-heated them for 3 min in the oven before serving)

Scotch egg recipe adapted from The Hairy Bikers cookbook, Mums know best