The colour of the eggshell is dependent on the breed of the hen. In general, white hens produce white eggs and brown hens produce brown eggs. Since the 1980s the British industry has produced almost 100 percent brown-shelled eggs, although several other countries still produce predominantly white-shelled eggs. There is no nutritional difference between white and brown-shelled eggs.

For optimum freshness, eggs should be kept at a constant temperature; below 20°C. This is often why it is advised to keep eggs in the fridge so they can be kept at a constant temperature.

Here are some other top tips for storing eggs:

• When storing eggs, keep them in their original boxes. This ensures that any odours from surrounding foods are shut out. Who wants an egg that tastes like an onion?
• If you take eggs out of their box, store and use them in date order.
• Store away from strong-smelling food because egg shells are porous and can take on the smell or taste of other foods. The average hen’s egg has around 7,000 pores!
• Never use dirty, cracked, or broken eggs

The average hybrid hen will lay around 300 eggs during her laying lifecycle from 18-20 weeks to around 72 weeks. During this time, these eggs will range in size from small to medium, large and a few XL or whoppers! The breed, age and nutrition of the flock, their management and even the weather all affect the size of the egg.

You would be hard-pressed to find a food that contains such an ideal mixture of nutrients as eggs as they are one of nature’s superfoods; fitting into many diets and lifestyles. Along with high levels of quality protein, eggs are naturally rich in vitamin D, B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B12, iodine, and selenium and they contain several other essential dietary vitamins and minerals.

The Food Standards Agency has confirmed that raw and runny eggs are safe for all including vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, weaning babies and the elderly!

As long as they have the British Lion stamp of approval, which every St. Ewe egg has, you can dip away! All eggs stamped with the British Lion mark have been produced under the stringent requirements of the British Lion Code of Practice which ensures the highest standards of food safety. The code covers the entire production chain and ensures strict food safety controls including the guarantee that all hens are vaccinated against Salmonella and a ‘passport’ system ensuring that all hens, eggs and feed are fully traceable. Download the Egg Info PDF for more info.

Delivering quality, safe, nutrient-packed, free-range eggs to the market is what gets us out of bed every day. We ensure the highest standards are met across all of our partner family farms and for our beloved hens because good nutrition starts with them.

All our eggs carry a date stamp; however, if you want to double-check, you can pop your egg into a glass or bowl of water. If it sinks, it’s fresh, and if it floats, it’s stale.

It all depends on the breed of hen, but our traditional hybrid girls typically produce one egg every 24-26 hours.

Our laying hens are professionally reared on a pullet rearing farm, where the chicks are nurtured in special conditions. At 16 weeks they make their way to our farms where they settle into their new home, make new friends and develop further before they start to lay. These weeks are crucial for healthy development as she needs to increase body weight and strength to trigger the onset of laying eggs.

If nurtured right and with excellent care, she will begin to produce eggs.

• Small eggs under 53g are produced initially for the first few weeks, and sometimes even teeny-tiny or oddly shaped eggs make an appearance.
• Medium eggs between 53g - 63g begin to come through from around 22-37 weeks old as the hen matures.
• Large eggs which range between 63g - 73g can start to be produced from 33 weeks onwards, however it is more common to see this from 40 weeks of age or later.
• Extra Large eggs which are over 73g are rarer and are sometimes produced at the start of lay when a bird produces two yolks at the same time (double yolkers!), or towards the end of her laying period.