Egg mayonnaise

Hard to believe that a boiled egg covered in mayonnaise used to be offered as a starter in restaurants. But then so did a glass of tomato juice.

Hard to believe that a boiled egg covered in mayonnaise used to be offered as a starter in restaurants. But then so did a glass of tomato juice. I'm not suggesting you revive the tomato juice idea, but properly made egg mayonnaise isn't as boring as it sounds. Give it a twist with different eggs - quails', ducks' as well as all sorts of varieties of hens' eggs are available. I even bought turkey eggs the other day.

For modern egg mayonnaise, boil duck or hens' eggs for 5-6 minutes in boiling water and transfer to a pan of cold water with a slotted spoon. Quails' eggs take 2-3 minutes in boiling water. Peel and half them or just leave them whole. Serve them on a mixture of watercress and mustard, or some healthy salad leaves, and simply spoon out some homemade or good quality bought mayonnaise. Dust with paprika or cayenne pepper.