Why you should never buy scotch eggs

One of the perils of being a recipe writer is that people regularly ask me why I bother making things from scratch, because ‘You can buy that in the supermarket’. Now, let’s put aside the obvious question – do they think I’m not aware of supermarkets? – and engage with the issue. I love supermarket food. There are many products which are simply better shop-bought: baked beans, mango chutney, Jaffa Cakes. Countless chefs and home cooks have tried to improve on Heinz tomato ketchup; all have failed. There are also supermarket foods which, while not necessarily better-tasting, are simply radically more convenient. Oven chips, say, or filo pastry.

But consider the Victoria sponge. A shepherd’s pie. The humble crumble. I happen to enjoy cooking and baking, but even if you don’t, these things are worth making from scratch because the gulf between shop-bought and homemade is so large. And in no case is it larger than in that of the scotch egg.