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28 Phonebox Magazine | July 2025Egg fans around the world have thought up new and creative ways to honour this small but nutritious powerhouse, and the day of celebration has grown and evolved over time.It seems so ordinary, but the basic egg is highly useful, and good for you. You can boil a single egg, scramble up half a dozen, use them in cakes, omelettes and in pasta and pizza dishes. The list is endless.National Egg Day is celebrated each year in June when we get the chance to discover the incredible attributes of eggs and all the delicious dishes of food they help to create. The UK produces 10 billion eggs a year and is self-suffi cient when it comes to supply. It%u2019s thought that around 32 million eggs are eaten very day in the UK in homes, cafes, restaurants and canteens across the country. Free range eggs are now the most popular sort bought, and around three quarters of all eggs produced are done this way.Celebrat ing th e Humble EggEggs are not just an important part of the UK%u2019s diet: they signify new beginnings, fertility and a fresh outlook. So, as well as eating something egg-based, you can do all sort of fun and exciting things to celebrate this popular food.1. Cook an eggy meal. Egg on toast? A quiche? Eggs Benedict? Egg custard? Get out the recipe books or search the Internet and find something new and delicious to try, with eggs as the star of the show.2. Try a non-chicken egg for a change. You can eat eggs from all sorts of birds, including pheasant, quail, duck, goose, turkey %u2013 even ostrich eggs. Diff erent sizes but same great taste.3. Go and see chickens in their habitats. Many farms, zoos and garden centres have chickens to see and buy for their eggs. They are easy to watch, tame and friendly and have an interesting story in terms of egg production and consumption.4. Invite friends and family to an arty egg day. Cook some eggy dishes, bake a cake and let children have a go at egg decorating. Egg hist oryNobody knows exactly when the fi rst egg was eaten nor who realised just how versatile eggs can be, but records show that they have been used for many centuries across India, China, Egypt and Europe. Archaeologists believe eggs date back to Neolithic times in terms of being used domestically. Records show that chickens were kept for egg laying in Egypt and China back in 1400 BC. Domestic chickens reached the USA in the 15th century. It%u2019s thought that ancient people, who kept fowl for meat, realised that if they took unhatched eggs for consumption the bird would simply lay some more. Many people kept one or two for their own use. This gradually grew to farms and homes with larger back gardens having several hens, while today free range chicken farms can house thousands of birds.National Egg Day was celebrated recently. A single egg has only 75 calories, which is great for losing weight. But seven grams of protein per egg almost makes this a superfood with a great calorie-to-protein ratio.Sunn y side up!Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and GruyereIngredients%u2022 1 tablespoon butter%u2022 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced%u2022 1 clove garlic, minced%u2022 1/2 teaspoon thyme%u2022 Salt and pepper%u2022 4 large eggs%u2022 6 ounces shredded Gruyere %u2022 2 tablespoons heavy creamMethod:1. Heat your oven to 400F. Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium heat. When the butter is foaming, add the mushrooms with plenty of salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 2. Stir in the garlic and the thyme in the last 2 minutes of cooking.3. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish and put the mushrooms into it. 4. Crack the eggs over the mushrooms and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.5. Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs, then drizzle the cream over the top. 6. Bake in the oven until the whites are set and the yolks are velvety and just barely runny, about 10-12 minutes. 7. Serve warm