Scotch eggs

• 8 quail eggs
• 180g of lamb mince
• 90g of black pudding, diced
• 10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1tsp fine sea salt
• 150g plain flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 200g panko breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Bring a small pan of water to the boil. Lower the quail’s eggs into the water and cook them for 2 ½ minutes. Remove and immediately plunge the eggs into iced water to halt the cooking process. Pell them carefully and set them aside.

Put the mince, black pudding and mint in a bowl and mix them together well. Season with salt, divide the mixture into 8 equal portions, then flatten the portions out slightly. Wrap each portion around a peeled quail’s egg, using your hands to form an even coating.

Place the flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs into 3 separate bowls. Roll each covered egg in the flour, tapping off any excess or the beaten egg won’t stick properly. Place it in the beaten egg, then straight into the breadcrumbs, making sure there is a nice even coating. Repeat the process to double-coat each egg.

Half-fill a large pan or a deep-fat fryer with vegetable oil and heat the oil to 170C. Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan 150/ Gas 3.

Add half the scotch eggs to the hot oil and deep-fry for 5-6 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Remove them with a slotted spoon, draining off any excess oil, and place them on a baking sheet. Fry the remaining eggs in the same way, then bake them in the oven for 4 minutes to make sure all the meat is cooked through.