Eggs aren't something a butcher shop has to sell. We do because we like a complete shop - you can pick up everything for breakfast tomorrow without two more stops. And because the eggs we sell are different.
Where they come from
Our eggs come from a small farm just up the road from Hunter Natural in the Upper Hunter Valley. Genuine free-range - the chickens roam, eat bugs, dustbathe, do chicken things. They're collected by hand and brought to us a couple of times a week.
Sold by the dozen. Cracked open at home, you'll see what we mean: deep gold yolks, firm whites, the unmistakable taste of an egg from a chicken that's actually had a life.
Why supermarket "free-range" can mean almost nothing
Australian "free-range" labelling rules require a maximum of 10,000 birds per hectare - that's one chicken per square metre. They have technical access to the outdoors but most never use it because the shed conditions select for indoor-bound birds.
True free-range - what we sell - is fewer birds, more space, actual outdoor access used daily. The egg quality reflects it. Yolk colour is a giveaway: deeper gold = better diet = chicken that ate insects, grass, varied feed.
How to use a great egg
Don't bury the flavour. The best eggs are wasted in over-flavoured dishes.
Soft-boiled, 6 minutes from cold water. Cold rinse to stop the cook. Halve, salt, eat with a spoon. The yolk is the whole point.
Poached. Simmering water, splash of vinegar, swirl, slip in. 3 minutes. On toast with avocado or just butter.
Scrambled. Low heat, butter, patience. Take them off slightly under-done because they keep cooking on the plate.
Fried sunny-side. Medium pan, butter, lid for 2 minutes to set the white without flipping. Crack pepper.
Lemon and salt are usually all you need.
How fresh is fresh
The eggs we sell are usually 2-5 days off the farm. The supermarket version - even labelled "free-range" - can be 3 weeks old before it hits the shelf. The fresher an egg, the more domed the yolk and the firmer the white. Notice the difference next time you crack one.
Shop fresh local eggs
Free-range eggs from a Hunter Valley farm just up the road. By the dozen.
Order eggs →
