by Briar Miller

Created on: July 19, 2010   Last Updated: July 20, 2010

Scotch eggs have to be the ultimate protein hit and the most hunger satisfying snack. Sausage meat wrapped round a hard boiled egg and fried in breadcrumbs! These are one of those 'peasant foods', foods like sandwiches and pasties, which were designed originally to enable us to carry substantial amounts of food out to work with us, in nice compact parcels. They certainly are great for packed lunches and snacks, especially when doing physical work. Unfortunately for vegetarians, there is not really a convincing substitute on the market. Fortunately, they are very easy to make for oneself.

A hard boiled egg needs no explanation or substitution, but it is worth mentioning that if you plunge them straight into cold water after cooking, they won't have that nasty looking grayness around the yolk. 

So how to make your own veggie sausage meat? Well, the easiest option is to use a proprietary vegetarian sausage mix such as Sosmix. Alternatively, you can try the suggestions below:

Home made vegetarian sausage: 

1 medium sized onion, fried until soft.

4 slices worth of breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

salt, pepper, sage.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add extra breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet, or more beaten egg if too dry.

To this you can add a couple of handfuls of any of the vegetarian proteins such as lentils, mashed beans, toasted seeds or nuts, tofu, or soya mince.

For an even quicker and easier result, use a packet of sage and onion stuffing mix, with, for example, a couple of handfuls of toasted sunflower seeds.

Simply wrap the mixture around hard boiled eggs, roll them in seasoned breadcrumbs and either bake in the oven or deep fry.

They will cook very quickly, in just a few minutes. When the breadcrumbs are golden, your Scotch egg is ready.

This onion, breadcrumbs, egg and vegetarian protein mixture is a wonderful base for any number of vegetarian meals, including sausages, burgers and roasts. It is wonderful made into falafels by mixing with mashed chickpeas and sesame seeds. Experiment with different proteins and herbs and spices.

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