Quail Scotch eggs

Prepare a bowl of ice water. Bring a litre or two of water to the boil in a pan. Carefully drop the quail's eggs in and boil for 2 minutes

Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place into ice cold water. Once they are cold, peel and set aside. Be very careful when handling the quail's eggs – they will be soft and fragile

Using your hands, mix the sausage meat in a bowl with the chopped thyme, truffle oil and a pinch of salt and pepper

Divide the sausage mixture into 6 equal quantities and press flat between your hands to form a thin sheet of the sausage mixture. Carefully wrap each quail's egg in the mixture, packing the eggs solid and ensuring that there are no air pockets

Cover the Scotch eggs with cling film and refrigerate for 5 minutes to set

Whisk the hen's eggs in a bowl. Place the flour and panko breadcrumbs on 2 different plates

Cover each Scotch egg with the flour, egg and then panko breadcrumbs, then roll again in egg and breadcrumbs, lightly coating each time. The second coating prevents any cracks when frying

Heat the deep fat fryer to 175˚C and fry the scotch eggs for 3 minutes

When they are done frying, place the Scotch eggs on some sheets of kitchen towel and lightly pat to remove any excess grease. Serve immediately