A stalwart of the picnic basket, the classic Scotch egg, is getting a makeover this summer as part of the new Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer range.
The retro classic, a popular party food of the 70’s, has been slowly making its way back into fashion, appearing on gastro pub menus and supermarket shelves and is set to be the foodie trend of the summer as the picnic staple makes its way back into baskets again.
Scotch eggs are already proving popular this year, early spring sales are up 8% already this year at Waitrose & Partners and shoppers are searching for the retro food online too, with searches up 44% versus the previous year on Waitrose.com.
Due to the increase in demand for the meaty snack, the supermarket will be introducing four new unusual varieties to liven up its summer selection. Featuring all the flavours of a classic Ploughman’s lunch, the Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer Ploughman’s Scotch Egg combines pork and chunky pickle with cheddar cheese and an oat & herb breadcrumb – a tangy take on the traditional.
The Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer Scotch Egg with Black Pudding, a hard-boiled egg encased in seasoned pork sausagemeat and black pudding with a herby sage & onion breadcrumb, makes a delicious breakfast alternative or tasty treat
Perfect for picnics, the Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer Scotch Egg with Pork, Pea & Mint is a fresh take on the traditional, adding some variety to any lunch spread with its refreshing mint flavour. The Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer Scotch Egg with Pork & Beetroot will bring a pop of colour to your plate with its purple hue, as well as an earthy taste and slightly bitter tang from a beetroot purée – it makes a delicious accompaniment to a summer salad.
Jonathan Moore, Executive Chef at Waitrose & Partners says, “The idea behind our Scrumptious Summer range was to take nostalgic food and flavours and reinvent them in a modern way. The trend for scotch eggs is on the rise and we know our customers enjoy unusual flavour combinations – so we took the make-up of the Scotch egg and reinvented it with a modern twist.”
And it’s not just savoury scotch eggs that are proving popular at Waitrose & Partners. Heston Blumenthal’s playful, sweet creation for the supermarket this Easter, Heston from Waitrose The Scotch Egg – a chocolate and yuzu based chocolate version, has been a hit with Waitrose & Partners’ shoppers. So much so that the grocer has increased its orders of the cocoa-based confection so egg enthusiasts will now be able to snap up the sweet treat after Easter has passed – with it now being made available throughout the summer.
The Scrumptious Summer range launches in Waitrose & Partner shops, and online at Waitrose.com from Wednesday 24th April, with the new scotch eggs making an arrival on shelves from Wednesday 8th May.
The range includes the below scotch eggs, priced at £1.59 each:
Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer Scotch Egg with Pork, Pea & Mint
Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer Scotch Egg with Black Pudding
Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer Ploughman’s Scotch Egg
Waitrose & Partners Scrumptious Summer Scotch Egg with Pork & Beetroot
