flavoured with chocolate and vanilla and I’ll present them on a savoy cake stand.

Lord and Lady Braybrooke’s daughter Augusta is visiting this easter, and Lady Braybrooke

has asked me to make something fun to remind her of her childhood at Easter, hunting painted

eggs.

For this recipe you will need.

Firstly bring your cream to an even heat, but not quite boiling, and then you can add

your sugar.

Once the sugar has melted you can add the soaked gelatine.

And stir it until it's melted.

I’m very lucky I have a good grocer nearby so I can buy packeted gelatine in sheets.

I remember when I was younger I used to have to make it myself out of calves feet.

Now the gelatine has melted we need to take out half of the cream.

And to this half I’m going to add the vanilla. Keep the other half on the stove and on to

that melt the chocolate.

I’m using fine grated chocolate but if you worked in a more modest household you could

of course use cocoa.

And now put both flavoured creams to one side and let them set to room temperature.

It’s time to prepare your eggs. Using something sharp very carefully make a little hole right

at the top, and another at the bottom.

I like to make the hole at the bottom just a little bit bigger, it will make it easier

to blow. And then poke it in, waggle it around to break the yolk. And then you’re ready.

Do that with all the eggs you want to set.

Oh thank you Sylvia. You can take this and make an omelette.

This ice has come from the ice house here at Audley End. When we’re at the London

house, I buy imported ice. I think it comes from North America.

Anyway, I’m going to lay the eggs on the ice but before I do that I’m going to make

one of the holes big enough to be able to fit my little funnel.

And I’m going to block the other one with a mix of flour and water which will then stop

the cream escaping out the bottom.

Now it’s time to fill the eggs. Take one of the creams and really carefully put in

about two spoon fulls full of the mixture. Be very gentle, remember they are delicate

moulds.

And then add the other colour. Once you’ve done that let it set. Leave it for about ten

minutes.

Tip it slightly, if it’s still runny let it set some more. Once you’ve filled all

the eggs you can leave them on the ice or put them in the ice cave or if you live in

a modern house put it in a refrigerator. Just don’t let them freeze otherwise the gelatine

won’t work.

Now that the eggs are set, it’s time to peel them. I’ve cracked this one a little,

and I’m going to work away with my nail and peel all the shell away really carefully.

And a good tip is to have a warm cloth just on hand as it gets a little sticky.

It might be quite fun to make the eggs different colours, maybe even make them out of jelly.

However these are more traditional and more elegant.

I’ve put my eggs in a savoy cake piped with royal icing. And this will be served as a

second course sweet entremet. There we are, marbled eggs.