Ready, steady, go eggs

The autumn chicks have finally laid their first eggs. 50 Marans and 8 Ixworth hens are all coming into lay at once and yesterday we collected their first efforts. Its the beginning of what could become a deluge, we gathered a solitary brown egg from a Maran and two cream coloured Ixworth eggs. They're still a bit small but perfectly formed.

Together with the rest of the flock (Light Sussex) we could be in collecting 4-5 dozen eggs a day through the summer. I hope to be able to sell them as fast as they're laid. So far I've got requests in from friends and colleagues from far and wide. My daily commute to London could see me weighed down with baskets of eggs. When the anarchists start boarding trains looking for greedy bankers my farmer disguise will come in handy. It is already a well established routine that I leave a trail of straw and pig manure through the train. It amuses my train buddies James and Robert enormously.

If the egg trade is slow I've been working on some baked goods recipes. Portuguese custard tarts and Coconut Macaroons. Having baked three batches this week I'm getting better at the tarts (the first batch when straight from cooling rack to bin). Trouble is, they don't use nearly enough eggs, 4 yolks for the custard and 4 whites for the macaroons. Any other egg recipes? Please leave your suggestions in the comments...