Billington’s Scotch Eggs

These Air Fryer Scotch Eggs have a crisp, golden sausage coating and a perfectly runny yolk. The key is gently soft-boiling the eggs before wrapping them in sausage meat and air frying until cooked through. Coated with Billington’s Gingerbread, they have a deliciously crisp finish with a subtle warming spice!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 450–500g good-quality sausage meat
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme or parsley, finely chopped (optional)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt (if needed, depending on the sausage meat)
• Oil spray
• 50g plain flour
• 1 beaten egg
• 75g Billington’s Gingerbread crumb

METHOD:

1. Soft-boil the eggs

• Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle boil.
• Carefully lower the room-temperature eggs into the water.
• Cook for 5–6 minutes (5 minutes for a very runny yolk / 6 minutes for a slightly thicker but still runny centre).
• Immediately transfer the eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes.
• Peel carefully, as the eggs will be delicate.

2. Prepare the sausage meat

• Divide the sausage meat into 4 equal portions.
• If using, mix in the mustard, herbs, garlic powder, and black pepper.
• Wet your hands and flatten each portion into a thin oval large enough to wrap around an egg.

3. Wrap the eggs

• Place a peeled egg in the centre of the flattened sausage meat.
• Gently bring the meat up around the egg, sealing any joins.
• Smooth the surface with wet hands until completely enclosed.

• Coat each Scotch egg in flour, then beaten egg, then Billington’s Gingerbread crumb for an extra crispy finish.

4. Air fry

• Preheat the air fryer to 190–200°C.
• Lightly spray the Scotch eggs with oil.
• Arrange them in a single layer, leaving space between each one.
• Air fry for 10–12 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
• The sausage should be browned and cooked through while the yolk remains runny.