Let's talk eggs..

Edwardia

First off, we're now supposed to have only Free Range eggs yet I don't see millions of chickens wandering about clucking so am suspicious of how Free Range they really are. Any thoughts ?

Secondly, do Free Range really taste better than barn eggs ?? What about organic ?

If you live in a town like me and can't buy eggs from a farm/neighbour what's the cheapest way of buying eggs ?

I've just tried Happy Eggs £2 for ten at ASDA .. do many shops sell ten/twelve eggs and are they cheaper ?

Where do you buy your eggs ?

browneyedbazzi

I buy free range eggs from Lidl at 99p for six...not because I think they taste any better etc but because my conscience twinges if I buy eggs from caged/battery hens.

I expect that somewhere there is a minimum standard regarding what can be labelled as 'free range' but I don't actually know what the standard is...it's bound to be a better quality of life than caged/battery hens get though.

cherrypies

Free range eggs don't taste much different to caged eggs, or not too discernibly different .. organic eggs on the other hand do. Marks and Spencers Free Range Organic eggs are wonderful, not cheap but worth every penny.

If I'm baking a cake or some such thing, i'll use cheap eggs, but if it's for boiled or poached or fried etc, I use M&S organic. The difference in taste is huge. They look better, 'clearer' whites, more yellow and altogether healthier looking and they actually have a deep fatty, creamy, eggy flavour, as opposed to the watery, boring tasting cheap eggs.

I've never had any problems getting good organic eggs anywhere, theres lots available locally here. I've also bought 'One' organic free range eggs from the Coop and they were very nice. Tesco carry several Free ranage organic brands and as I said before, M&S eggs are fab.

Incidentally, the very nicest eggs I ever had were from Morrisons.

maman

Edwardia wrote: »

First off, we're now supposed to have only Free Range eggs yet I don't see millions of chickens wandering about clucking so am suspicious of how Free Range they really are. Any thoughts ?

Secondly, do Free Range really taste better than barn eggs ?? What about organic ?

If you live in a town like me and can't buy eggs from a farm/neighbour what's the cheapest way of buying eggs ?

I've just tried Happy Eggs £2 for ten at ASDA .. do many shops sell ten/twelve eggs and are they cheaper ?

Where do you buy your eggs ?

I buy free range because it makes me feel better. Generally I can get 6 for £1 at Aldi or Lidl for medium but increasingly for large too. If you're not fussed about free range then you can buy cheaper for larger packs.

cherrypies

As for cheapest eggs, value brands from all of the major supermarkets generally work out between 8 and 10p per egg. Tesco do large trays of 30 (caged) for £3.

flea72

free range eggs taste no different to eggs from caged hens.

i keep my own hens, so my eggs are very fresh when eaten and i still dont notice a great difference in flavour to shop ones. but i do get very large orange yolks, so the white to yolk ratio is fairly even, which i personally find more enjoyable, so they taste better iyswim

have you looked at greengrocers or markets, as they will usually be selling eggs from localish farmers that could be fresher than the 2wk old ones in the supermarket

F

NewKittenHelp

If you keep your own hens then the quality of the eggs depends on the quality of the food you feed them and how healthy and content your hens are.

Organic eggs from a local farmer will always be superior to shop bought eggs. Keeping your own, should you have the space and be able to swallow the expense of the higher quality feed, will be even better, and far, far fresher.

dasophster

Best eggs OH and I ever tasted are the Duchy originals ones from waitrose. Once I bought them for him when they were reduced and this the cheapest eggs there, he made me try them and I have to say the difference between them and even the 'regular' waitrose eggs is staggering and they are about 100 times better than tesco and sainsbobs eggs. I don't know what they are feeding those chickens but its something tasty and flavoursome. They are expensive at full price probably the most expensive eggs you can get but so worth it! Xx

TravellingAbuela

From March to October (caravan season!) we buy our eggs from a farm near to the caravan site whenever we are over there. They truly are free range, the chucks having two large fields to roam around it, plus a stream of running water to drink from. They don't come particularly cheap (£2.20 a dozen) but the difference in taste to other free range eggs is amazing and we feel they are worth every penny. We do miss them in the winter months as supermarket eggs just don't taste the same!

terra_ferma

Free range farming is only marginally better than ordinary caged farming, chicken are still de-beaked, ill, distressed etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debeaking

Often they don't even have proper access to outdoor space because there are too may of them to be able to go through a tiny door, or they may be too ill/distressed to go out anyway.
Also they don't have to spend the whole life in a free range farm to be classed 'free range', they are just moved around (not sure what the minimum time is).
There was an undercover video on the internet, but I can't find it anymore, and there is nothing else out there as far as I can see, that is not just marketing.

Since finding out more about this topic I've started eating eggs from riverford.
There is a big difference in taste I must say, because they are reared the way chicken are supposed to be.

Images of animal farms, including free range ones, are not shown by the media, there must be a reason. If free range was all we expect it to be they would be keen to show it....

It's fairly normal practice for farmed animals to be mutilated in one form or another.
There are a number of reports here, not pretty:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/fawc/advice-2/opinions/ (from an official body that advises the government)

PlutoinCapricorn

A former boss used to keep chickens - outside, free to roam - and one day he brought in some of their eggs. They were by far the best I had ever tasted, and made Waitrose free range seem like nothing. It all seems to depend on what the chickens are given/find to eat.

I will try the M & S eggs, but I bet they are not so good as the ones from my boss!