Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mr. Ballam, thanks for choosing this lesson.

This lesson's all around making Scotch eggs with a dipping sauce.

Let's get started, shall we? So what you're going to learn today, well by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to use your food skills to make the Scotch eggs with a dipping sauce too.

And there are some key words which I want to go through first of all, which we're gonna pick up in the lesson.

So the first one is Scotch egg.

And traditionally this is a hard boiled egg enclosed in sausage meat, rolled in breadcrumbs, and then fried.

The second one is the word forming, and this is the process of shaping or moulding food into shapes or forms. The next one is coating, and in this context it's applying a layer of a substance to the surface of a food.

The next is traceability, and this is to track a food or its ingredients through all the stages of the farm to fork food chain.

And lastly, animal welfare, and this is ensuring that animals have a good quality of life.

Okay, well let's get started with the first part of the lesson all around food and mealtime origins.

Now, the way we eat today in the UK has not always been the same.

And over hundreds of years, mealtimes have changed.

And these changes have included things like the number of meals per day, the time the meals are actually eaten too, and the types of foods that are consumed.

So for example, people ate fewer meals, but they were bigger in the past.

And over time the meals became more regular.

So breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for example.

And we can get some examples when we look back in history.

So in mediaeval times, people usually ate two main meals a day, dinner around 11 o'clock in the morning and supper before sunset.

And poor families ate foods like brown bread, for example, pottage which is a stew, and vegetables, and the meat was rarely included in the stew.

But for rich families, they had roasted meats, pies, fish, spiced dishes, and white bread and cakes too.

And also, if we look at Tudor times, people still ate two meals a day, but breakfast was started to become more common, particularly for the rich.

And again, rich and poor families had different types of foods.

When we moved to Victorian times, people now had three meals a day, breakfast, dinner, and supper, or sometimes called tea.

And the type of food, depending on how much money families have.

So for example, for breakfast, upper class families might have had eggs, bacon, or kedgeree, for example.

Whereas working class families probably had bread and porridge.

And now we moved to present times and meal times now include breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or tea depending where you live.

And food has become quicker and easier to prepare for everyone.

Let's have a quick check for understanding, shall we? So what types of foods did rich families eat in mediaeval times? A, B, C, D.

Yes, that's right, roasted meats.

Anything else? That's right, they had white bread, which is interesting, isn't it? Because nowadays you might think it would be brown bread, but at the time, roasted meats and white bread were the foods that was eaten by mediaeval families, but rich families at the time.

Now, we don't eat the same types of food for every meal or event, do we? And the food we choose often depends on a number of different factors.

So for example, it might be where we are, what we're doing or who we are with.

So for example, if we're having a picnic, for example, we could have things like in the UK, Scotch eggs.

Well that's handy as that's today's lesson or sandwiches, crisp, cake.

Or in France it might be baguettes or cheese and ham or perhaps a quiche and fruit tarts.

And if we're in Japan, it could be bento boxes with rice balls, fried chicken, boiled eggs, and pickled vegetables too.

Now, if you were going on a picnic, what considerations for the food would you take? What do you think you need to think about? Well, there'd be lots of different reasons won't there, so it might just be something that's portable, for example.

Or perhaps it doesn't need reheating or is easy to eat without maybe a knife and fork.

There are lots of different reasons and I'm sure you'll come up with some great ideas.

The other one could be starters, and these are small dishes which are eaten sometimes before a main course.

And in UK this might include things like soup, garlic mushrooms, or a classic prawn cocktail.

If you're in Italy, it might be something like bruschetta which is grilled bread with tomato and basil, or perhaps it could be some olives.

And if you're in India, it could be some samosas, pakoras or perhaps different types of chutneys too.

And if you're in Mexico, it could be nachos, which are absolutely delicious.

Or China, it could be things like spring roll, prawn toast and dumplings too.

So when you look at this list of food, do you think they're strictly followed in each country? Well, probably not nowadays because we all eat a range of different types of foods.

Maybe in the past, some foods were kept very traditional at different times of the days and different countries with their cuisine.

But now, with international travel and the taste for different types of foods, I'm sure lots of people have different types of foods from around the world.

Another occasion might be snacks, and these are small and eaten between meals, often where we're hungry.

So in the UK, this might be things like crisps, biscuits and chocolate bars, for example, and sometimes fruits.

Or in Spain it might be churros which are dough sticks like donuts, and you can dip them in chocolate.

Or perhaps in South Korea when we have rice cakes, seaweed snacks, and fish cakes too.

And maybe Nigeria where there's puff-puff which are sweet dough balls or chin chin which are crunchy biscuit snacks too.

So what do you notice about these traditional types of snack food? What have they got in common, do you think? Well, that's right.

Often they seem to be fried, don't they? They seem to be foods that are high fat, salt or sugars.

So if we do have these types of foods, we should eat them less often and in small amounts.

Now, what alternatives could be provided for snacks? Well, there are a range of different types of foods that you could have as a snack, aren't there? So it could be fruits and vegetables for example.

Could be in delicious humus dip, perhaps a yoghourt or just a small sandwich, just something to keep the hunger at bay.

Now the type of food that we eat can change over time.

So for example, people in the UK now enjoy food from all around the world, which we've talked about, such as a curry or sushi, compared to the past.

And traditional recipes can be modified using ingredients and cooking techniques from other cuisines too.

And sometimes food trends make an impact too.

Things like bubble tea, hummus, or plant-based burgers.

And technology can also make a wider variety of foods more available too.

With use of things like air fries, microwave ovens, but also delivery apps, the food gets to us quicker and these can be different in other countries and can change over time based on trends, traditions, and technology.

Okay, so let's have a quick check you've been listening, shall we? So what factors have influenced the food we eat over time? A, B, C, D.

Yes, that's right, A, technology.

Anything else? Brilliant.

Yes, C, travel.

I think there's one more.

Yes, well done, D, traditions too.

So these things influence the food we eat over time.

So when we look at Scotch eggs, although they might sound as though they come from Scotland, it's believed they were actually invented in London in 1738 in a shop called Fortnam & Mason.

And they wanted to make a portable meal for travellers who were heading west from Piccadilly, which is in central London.

And originally they were made from a pullet's egg, which is from a young female chicken.

And also they were surrounded by forcemeat, which is a kind of a sausage meat, and it's contains meat fat and different seasonings that were then rolling in breadcrumbs and then deep fried.

And they're referred as Scotch eggs because of the anchovies being added for a stronger flavour.

And others believe that Scotch eggs may have been inspired from a dish from India called nargisi kofta, which are eggs wrapped in a spicy meat.

You can see 'em in the picture here.

And it's thought perhaps that British travellers may have seen this dish and brought the idea back home.

And some people believe that Scotch eggs might have originated in Yorkshire where local fish traders use fish paste instead of sausage meat.

However, this Yorkshire claim is less well documented.

So it's interesting that there are three different origin stories for a Scotch egg.

So true or false, Scotch eggs originate from Scotland.

Well that's false, isn't it? And we know that because although its name might sound Scottish, as in Scotch egg, actually has origins in 1738 in London, remember a snack for travellers.

It could be an Indian dish, that kofta.

or perhaps it was from Yorkshire, a fish version.

So lots of different interesting theories about its origin.

Now when making or buying Scotch eggs, food labels can help us make more informed choices.

Now, what information do you think might be made available? Well, there's lots of different types of information.

We're just gonna look at two here.

So the first one could be ingredients used and the other one could be nutrition.

Now how could this information be helpful to you? Well, again, there are lots of different reasons aren't there, but we could be looking at people's food preferences.

So you might look to the ingredient list and think if there's foods that you don't eat or don't like, for example.

Or there might be things like allergens, for example.

And we look at this food list, we can see that the allergens are highlighted in bold, the egg and the wheat, or it might be the amount of meat.

So for example, in this one we can see there's 26% pork meat.

Or perhaps we might be interested in the nutrition, so we're looking at the amount of fat and salt that it's providing too.

And lastly, we might be interested in perhaps in how much fibre it's providing, which would be on the back of pack nutrition label.

Other labels you might see are things like traceability, so where it's from or perhaps something indicating animal welfare.

So how could this information be helpful? So for the first one, it could be the ability to track a food or its ingredients through all the stages of the supply chain, e.

g.

the source of origin.

And animal welfare ones? Well here, we can make sure that the animals are having a good quality of life with standards going beyond the legal requirements.

Now traditionally, Scotch eggs comprised of a boiled egg in the centre, sausage meat wrapped around the egg, and an outer layer of breadcrumbs too.

And traditionally they're deep fried.

Now how could this recipe be modified to better meet healthy eating guidelines? And what other modifications do you think could be made? So changes for health then, well, these could include things like using different types of meat, such as minced turkey, for example, which is lower in fat.

Or perhaps we could replace the meat with a spicy bean mixture so we're looking at diversity of protein sources.

Or perhaps we could use whole meal breadcrumbs too.

And also we could oven bake or air fry them rather than deep fry, so we'll be using less oil.

And other modifications, what have you come up with? Well, I think you could be quite creative here.

You could make a vegan version, couldn't you? A meat and egg free Scotch egg.

Or perhaps you could use different types of herbs, spices, sauces, and other ingredients and mix them into the meat or bean mixture too, so making really creative.

And lastly, we could use crackers, seeds and other cereals as the coating, not just breadcrumbs too.

So I've got a task for you here, and what I want you to do is I want you to modify this traditional Scotch egg recipe around two of the following themes.

So there's four here, I just want you to pick two of them.

The first one is healthy snack, the second one is vegetarian or vegan.

The third one is breakfast foods.

And the last one is world to travel.

I'm showing you do really well.

So just pick two of those and be creative and we'll come back very soon to see how you got on.

Okay, so how did you get on? So which themes did you pick? Well, let's go through each of them in turn to see the sorts of things that you might have put down.

Well, the first one, for a healthy snack, I could have used that turkey mince.

Remember, it was lower in fat than traditional pork meat and I could have added grated courgette to the mince so I've got more vegetables in it too.

And I've used whole meal bread crumbs and I've baked it rather than frying it too.

So they're quite simple, but I've definitely made a healthier snack there for my Scotch egg.

How about the next one? Vegan, for example.

Well here I've used mashed butter beans for the egg centre and I've added a little bit of turmeric to make it look like an egg yolk.

I think that's really clever.

And then I've wrapped the egg, more made from the butter beans, with mashed potato and I've added extra chopped leaks and also herbs to give it really nice taste.

Then I've also rolled it in fresh whole meal breadcrumbs for more fibre.

And then again, I've baked it in the oven rather than fry it so there's less oil.

I think that's gonna be absolutely delicious.

How about breakfast foods? I think here, you could have been really creative.

So here I'm going to use a lean pork mince so it's a bit like a sausage for breakfast.

And I'm gonna add some baked beans and chopped tomatoes or mushrooms to the mince too.

I think that can be really interesting.

It's like a breakfast all in one.

I'm going to use whole meal breadcrumbs, and again, I'm going to bake it, not fry it.

Perhaps I'm gonna put it in the air fryer this time.

But also I'm gonna serve it with brown sauce.

Hmm, my favourite.

That's a really creative idea.

And the last one, world travel.

Well, I'm gonna be inspired by different things from around the world and this one is going to be the original dish, remember from India, that kofta.

And I'm gonna use lamb mince in this one mixed with cumin, chilli, ginger, and also garlic too.

But this time, I'm gonna shallow fry them in a little bit of oil and then I'm going to simmer them in a sauce made from onions, tomatoes, different spices and yoghourt too.

What inspiration did you get from around the world? I bet you did really well.

Well, well done, that's four different types of creative Scotch eggs.

I bet you come up with some amazing ideas too.

Well done.

Okay, so let's move on to the second part of the lesson all around making your Scotch eggs with a dipping sauce.

Now to make the Scotch eggs, one of the first food skills we're going to use is 'measuring.

' So firstly, we're gonna be using the weighing scales.

Remember always make sure it displays zero before you weigh anything.

And also we're gonna be using measuring spoons.

And again, sounds silly, but make sure you use the correct size spoon.

Other ones we're going to use, we're gonna be 'using the hob' for boiling.

Now which direction should the pan handle point on the hob when you're boiling? Yes, that's right, the panhandle should point towards the side, away from the front of the hob and the other rings too.

Now the eggs should be placed into the cold water.

The water should be brought to the boil and then the egg should be boiled for about eight minutes.

And after touching the raw egg, you should always wash your hands.

Now what happens to the egg during boiling? Well, the proteins that make up the egg, they are like coiled up in little springs.

And as the egg starts to heat from the boiling water, the protein start to unwind and that process is called denaturation.

And the proteins then start sticking together into a little mesh like a framework and that is called coagulation.

And the heat changes the egg from a liquid into a solid state, which is irreversible.

And what that means is once you boiled an egg, you can't unboil it can you? It becomes firm.

So a quick check for understanding shall we.

As the egg starts to heat the proteins start to: A, B, C, or D? Yes, that's right, they start to denature.

Well done, D, correct.

We're also going to be using food skill 'draining.

' So here's our eggs.

Now, what safety advice would you give when you're draining these hot eggs? Well, that's right, one of the first things you could do is perhaps use an oven glove 'cause the saucepan handle might be hot.

And remember the steam can actually burn so tilt the saucepan away from your face and let the steam escape safely.

Plus place the colander, which does not conduct heat, in the sink and carefully pour the eggs and the water into it.

Make sure the colander is steady so it does not tip over.

I'm also gonna be using the food skill 'peeling' and to help peel the eggs, they are cooled down quickly.

Now, how do you think you can call the eggs down quickly? Well, there are a number of different ways, but one of the first ways you could do is to place the eggs under running cold water in the colander to help them cool down quickly.

Alternatively, just like in the photo here, you could place the eggs in a little bath of water with ice and this will help them to call even quicker.

So when we think about peeling, why do you think the eggs are cooled down before peeling? Well, that's right.

If we don't cool them down, the eggs will continue to cook.

Also, if the egg stays too hot for too long, a chemical reaction can happen creating a green ring around the yolk, that wouldn't look very nice, would it? Also cooling the eggs down also causes the egg to shrink slightly within it so it's easier to peel away from the shell.

Plus it's safer, they're not too hot to handle.

We're also going to be using the food skill 'mixing.

' Now why should the meat mixture and dipping sauce be thoroughly mixed? Well, that's right, it's to ensure that everything is completely combined, there's no lumps, dry bits or uneven flavours too.

Plus in the meat mixture is to make sure the spices are evenly spread throughout so every bit tastes the same.

And the dipping sauce, again, thorough mixing helps to blend the flavours together and make sure it's texture is consistent too.

Another food skill we're going to use is either 'using the food processor or the blender.

' We're going to use this to make the breadcrumbs.

Now why are we going to use a food processor or blender? Well, that's right, it's fast, isn't it? And the breadcrumbs will be of an even size and it's much less effort for us too.

But what other methods could be used, perhaps, if we don't have a food processor or a blender? Well, one option could be using a grater, but it can be quite slow to do.

Another one, we could crush the bread in a bag with a rolling pin, that makes quite a rough texture.

Or perhaps we could toast the bread and crumble it with our fingers, but this can be quite uneven and a bit messy too.

But there are three different ways that we could make breadcrumbs if we don't have a food processor or a blender.

We're also going to be 'forming,' do you remember that key word we looked at at the beginning? And forming involves pressing the meat around the egg and ensuring that the egg is completely covered.

Now what safety advice would you give someone about handling raw meat? Yes, always wash your hands before and after handling raw meat.

And also keep the raw meat in the fridge until you need it.

We also need to make sure we avoid cross-contamination and we need to therefore use a separate chopping board.

You can see here we are using a red chopping board.

We're also going to be using the food skill 'coating.

' And first, the Scotch egg is rolled in the flour, then it's rolled in the beaten egg, and then finally it's rolled in the breadcrumbs.

So one tip I've got for you is to use just one of your hands to roll the egg in the flour and then the breadcrumbs, they're the dry ingredients.

And then swap and use the other hand to roll it in the egg, which is the wet ingredients.

And this technique keeps your hands clean and makes the process more efficient too.

Another food skill we're going to use to make the Scotch eggs is the food skill of 'coating.

' Now, first of all, I want you to think about how do the breadcrumbs stick on the Scotch egg.

How do you think that works? Well, yes, that's right, the starch in the flour becomes slightly sticky when damp creating a surface that improves adhesion, and then the proteins in the egg help to bond the breadcrumbs to the meat.

And when it's all heated, the egg proteins denature, remember we talked about that earlier? They unfold and they coagulate and set and the crumbs stick to the egg and form a crispy outside layer.

Okay, so I've got a quick check for understanding.

So what is the name of the process where the egg turns from a liquid to a solid, is it A, B, C, or D? That's right, it's C, coagulation.

Great work.

Another food skill we're going to be using is using the oven for baking.

Now why do you think we preheat the oven? That's right, we need to make sure that the oven is at the right temperature straight away when we need it.

And this helps to cook the food evenly and properly from the outside to inside.

Now, why do you think baking is a healthier cooking method? Well, that's right, when you fry Scotch eggs, they're submerged in a lot of hot oil, and the coating, the breadcrumbs, it absorbs some of that oil, the fat.

However, when we're baking, there's no oil used at all.

It's cooked by the dry heat, so there's no fat used.

Plus, when we're using the oven to cook the Scotch eggs, we need to make sure the meat is cooked all the way through so there are no pink bits inside.

Okay, so that's some of the food skills you're gonna be using today.

Now I want you to follow the recipe and make your Scotch eggs with a dipping sauce.

And before you cook, I want to make sure you are ready to cook.

I'm sure you know this by now, but tying up long hair, removing jumpers, washing hands, and wearing an apron for example too.

Plus, make sure you've got your ingredients and your equipment ready so you are ready to cook.

And as you prep and cook, I want you to be safe and hygienic, and I want you to think about using your food skills precisely and accurately too.

So here's the ingredients that you'll need for your Scotch egg.

So there's the Scotch eggs on one side and the dip on the other.

And this is the equipment you're going to need.

So here's part one of the method.

And here's part two of the method.

Well, I'm showing you're gonna do really well and we'll come back very soon, see how you've got on.

Good luck to you.

Okay, well, how did you get on? Did you enjoy making your Scotch egg with a dipping sauce? I bet you did.

Has anybody eaten them yet? I bet some of you have.

Well, look, let's have a quick look at the recipe together to see how you were successful in making your Scotch egg with a dipping sauce.

Well, first of all, you would've preheated the oven, then you would've started to boil the eggs and then made the breadcrumbs.

Then you would've drained the hot eggs in the colander over the sink, and then you would've run cold water over them to cool the egg down.

Then we would've peeled the two eggs, but also whisk the other raw egg too.

Then you would've placed the whisked egg, flour and breadcrumbs onto the three little plates.

Next you would've mixed the turkey mince with the spice and the black pepper and then divided it into two.

Then you would've gently pressed the turkey mixture around each of the boiled eggs.

Then you would've rolled the egg into the flour, the egg, and then finally the breadcrumbs.

You would then put them on a baking tray and spray them just so a little bit of oil.

Then you would put them in the oven and bake them for 20 minutes until they golden brown.

Then you would've quickly made a dipping sauce while the eggs were baking.

Brilliant work.

Well done.

Well, I think you've done really well today.

Well done.

And hope you've enjoyed this lesson about making Scotch eggs with a dipping sauce.

Let's have a quick summary of what we've learned today.

Well, the first one is the ways and the types of food that people eat today in the UK has not always been the same.

And over hundreds of years, mealtimes and the food eaten has changed.

And the food we choose often depends on where we are, what we're doing and who we're with too.

And the origins of a Scotch egg can be dated back to 1738 in London, which was a snack for travellers.

But also it could have come from India or perhaps Yorkshire too.

And when making or buying Scotch eggs, food labels can help us make healthier choices, more informed choices too.

So for example, it could be things around the ingredients, nutrition, traceability, and also animal welfare too.

And lastly, we've used lots of different food skills to make our Scotch eggs today, and these have include things like measuring, using the hob, draining, forming, coating, and using the oven too.

Well, brilliant work, well done, and I hope you come back very soon for another cooking and nutrition lesson with me.

Thanks a lot.

Bye.