Country House Light Luncheon Recipe: Edwardian Curried Eggs (2024)

Sometimes, an aroma can bring back so many memories, a snatched moment in time, misty memories come rushing back like a pressure cooker being released and you yearn for that time again……and all it entails.Such is today’s recipe, it’s redolent of hot, humid school days in Hong Kong, a long journey back home on a rickety school bus and then a dusty climb up a steep hill, cicadas buzzing in the background with not a breath of air – an itchy school uniform and tired feet that craved escape from “school shoes” and socks, my thick (and unruly) hair scraped back with a headband…..the mosquito screen on the kitchen door bangs and I enter the coolness of the flat to a spicy and rich aroma……..curry!

Curries came in many forms in our home when I was growing up, from curried puffs – delicate deep-fried pastries filled with fragrant spiced vegetables to a large bowl of mutton curry with assorted sambals and fluffy naan breads……and then there was mum’s Monday curried rissoles, made with Sunday lunch leftovers, pan-fried in butter and served with mango chutney. But there is one meal that I remember with a huge amount of fondness, a staple from my mum’s thrifty meal planner (especially when meat was too expensive), an easy recipe where the sauce can be made ahead of time and was all the better for it, an Edwardian recipe that was very popular for Country House luncheons and which was a family favourite, Curried Eggs.

Although I usually follow my mum’s recipe, I was fascinated to see the exact same recipe in my latest new “vintage” book acquisition, the Radiation Cookery Book (1933).And, as my wonderful hens have been laying on overtime since spring has arrived and my egg basket is full to overflowing, I decided to “test drive” a much-loved family recipe for curried eggs that is shared in this book. This curry sauce is fairly Anglicised, insofar that it is made with “curry powder”, but it is extremely tasty nevertheless. And, I DO love the fact that the recipe has apple in it – my mum always adds apple to her curry sauces too. The sauce can be made well ahead of time, before the boiled eggs are added as it is heated to serve. I DID find that there is a LOT of sauce for the amount of eggs that are used, so I popped the excess in the fridge and served it with cooked vegetables on another day.

This recipe is perfect for the freezer, sans eggs, and you can of course use your own masala or curry spice mixture.DO try this recipe, it’s cheap and cheerful and very nutritious. That’s it for today, have a wonderful weekend and see you next week, Karen

What aromas and food brings back happy memories for you?