Scotch Eggs and a Scottish Picnic at the River

Join us for a beautiful, mystical Scottish-inspired picnic by the river. We're serving Scotch Eggs (even though they don't originate in Scotland😊). They're boiled eggs wrapped in sausage meat, crumbed and fried, making a most delectable treat for picnics, packed lunches, or a light meal. You'll find some simple tricks to make the preparation easy and foolproof.

We got together with our friends Nicoletta and Loreto from SugarLoveSpices for a wonderful autumn picnic recently. The four of us so enjoy picnicking together, exploring local spots and putting our culinary heads together to come up with great picnic menus. This time we decided to head for one of our favourite spots (many wonderful family picnics here over the years) on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River.

The misty weather and romantic river setting immediately made us think of Scotland, and a Scottish-themed picnic seemed just the thing. It was fun to dig through our cupboards and come up with a few accessories to bring our picnic to life . . . a couple of plaid woolen blankets and a cotton tablecloth, wicker baskets, pewter, and tarnished silver dishes. We packed wooden plates, acrylic glasses, tin cups, and dark green cotton napkins into a beautiful woven green picnic basket. A handful of big ol' pinecones collected along the way brought a touch of nature to our spread.

Our trusty thermoses were filled with hot tea and cold apple cider. We love collecting old cookie tins at thrift stores and packed our food in them, with layers of wax paper underneath. Fresh flowers - this time sunflowers and flowering kale - tucked into a pewter pitcher, brightened up our array of Scottish plaid. We brought a few candles and a stack of favourite old books for Nicoletta and me to peruse while the guys fished.

Raymond packed his dad's tackle boxes, and he and Loreto brought their fishing rods. The river is low at this time of the year, so fishing was easy from the shore. No fish were caught, but a few of the world's problems were undoubtedly solved during the process.

As for Nicoletta and I, our souls were restored as we lounged on the rocks of the river's edge, thumbing through old cookbooks with the sounds of the water burbling along lazily and the birds chirping in the trees behind us to keep us company.

The Menu

Scotch eggs immediately came to mind when we planned our picnic menu - hearty and filling and perfect for picnic packing.

We kept our river picnic menu simple. The Scotch Eggs were the main attraction, served at room temperature. When we cut them open, the creamy yolks oozed out like thick golden lava. Biting into that crunchy crumbed shell, with the piquant and salty sausage meat encasing the egg treasure inside, is a delicious experience. A dab of mustard is a zesty counterpoint.

Genuine Scottish oatcakes, purchased from the British import section of our local grocery store (we chose the wheat-free ones, made with only oatmeal) were also a must-have. We picked up some beautiful smoked salmon - a food that Scotland is famous for - from Costco, and served it on the oatcakes spread with a simple herbed cream cheese. The crumbly oatcakes, the piquant and creamy cheese, and that luxuriously rich and smoky salmon combined to make a heavenly texture and flavour pairing.

We rounded out the menu with slices of creamy, smoked cheddar cheese and sharply pickled onions (also purchased from the British import aisle of the grocery store), juicy, ripe pears, and red grapes.

Dessert was also simple - a mug of steaming tea served with crisp buttery homemade shortbread cookie wedges and melting little chocolate truffle balls flavoured with Scotch whisky and rolled oats.

Scotch Eggs - are they Really?

In doing our research, we learned that Scotch eggs do not actually originate in Scotland and have a past as misty as our river weather. Their name comes from the fact that the British term for surrounding a food item with minced meat and bread crumbs is known as 'scotching', and historically, sometimes even just the action of mincing meat was called 'scotching'.

The luxury London department store, Fortnum & Mason, claims to have invented Scotch eggs in the 1800s as a snack for rich travelers passing through, while other research points to the British Army as the originator. There are also rumours a Yorkshire butcher may have invented them, and even some opinions that they are based on a similar dish from either North Africa or India. The only thing agreed upon is that, although Scotch Eggs are enjoyed throughout Scotland, they do not originate there. However, they are delicious, easy to pack, and are generally eaten cold or at room temperature, so they're perfect for a picnic.

And we decided we wanted to have them at ours.

How To Make Scotch Eggs

You'll need to soft-boil four eggs and remove some sausage meat from its casings.

Roll the sausage meat into four equal-sized balls, then flatten each ball into a patty and form it around a boiled egg to make an outer shell. The eggs are very soft, so work gently.

Roll each sausage-wrapped egg in flour, then beaten egg, then bread crumbs, to make a crust which will seal in all the flavour when it's fried. Set the crumb-coated eggs into the fridge to firm up.

Heat up some oil, and fry the Scotch Eggs until they're golden brown and crispy and the sausage is cooked through. The egg yolk should still be golden and slightly runny (but even if it's cooked a bit more, it'll still taste fantastic!)

Drain the fried Scotch eggs on paper towels and allow them to cool for a few minutes before serving.

How to Store and Serve Scotch Eggs

Eat these fantastic Scotch eggs right away, or refrigerate them to pack for a picnic. Put them into a sealable storage container large enough to hold them in one layer, and refrigerate them for up to 5 days. (They are not suitable for freezing.)

Scotch eggs are best eaten slightly warm or at room temperature, so if they are chilled, let them rest for 20-30 minutes before serving them, to take the chill off. Just remove them from the cooler or ice packs once you get to the picnic, and they'll be ready to eat once you've set up your spread.

If you've cooked your soft-boiled eggs just soft enough, they will cook just slightly more when you fry them, producing the most luciously jammy soft centers. But don't worry - even if the eggs end up being hard-boiled, you will still have amazingly mouthwatering Scotch eggs. Serve them with a dab of mustard or your favourite chutney.

A Wonderful Picnic

Our Scottish picnic recharged our spirits. What a wonderful thing to do on a misty fall day. We hope you are inspired to enjoy an autumn picnic, too. Head over to Nicoletta and Loreto's blog to find their photos and story and their delicious recipe for homemade Shortbread Cookie Wedges.

More Picnics and Afternoon Teas

Check out our other fun picnics and unique Afternoon Teas for some great recipes and inspiration:

• Coronation Chicken Salad Sandwiches and a Perfect Afternoon Tea Picnic
• Gluten-Free Sausage Rolls and a Glorious Autumn Picnic
• Homemade Tomato Soup and a Late Fall Picnic by the Lake
• Gluten-Free Victoria Sponge Cake and a Summer Afternoon Tea Picnic
• Luscious Lemon Mousse and a 'Fun & Games' Picnic
• Butter Pecan Bars and a Glowing Afternoon Tea in the Orchard

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Guten Appetit!