Tea on Thursday 9 : Tea Eggs

Tea eggs 

It is actually Good Friday here as I write this , but I did make these tea eggs last night when it was still Thursday. These are not as colourful and shiny as Easter eggs from the shops, but I really love their simplicity, and the subtle colours of the "cracked" patterns. And they taste good!

 Here is a recipe - please note all quantities are approximate! 

1. Boil eggs slowly until they are hard boiled . Cool the eggs and when they are cool, crack the shells using the back of a teaspoon. Leave the cracked shells on the eggs. 

2. Prepare the steeping liquid. For every three cups of water, add about a tablespoon of  dark soya sauce, and 2 tablespoons of black tea leaves ( you can use tea bags - this would probably be the equivalent of 8 tea bags?) . To add favour, I add some cinnamon, lemon or orange rind and 2-3 star anise. You could also add a pinch of salt,but I think the soya sauce is quite salty enough. Bring the steeping liquid to the boil and simmer for about an hour or so until it reduces. Remove from the stove. 

3. Add the eggs to the steeping liquid overnight ( about 8 hours) 

4. Peel the eggs carefully to reveal the patterns. 

Happy Easter! 

PS : The plate, cups and saucers and teapot are a Wedgwood pattern of the late 1960's/1970's - Pennine.  I have a few remaining pieces from my original dinner set and am interested in buying other pieces if you have them for sale. Contact me by leaving a comment.