In the baking aisle of my local supermarket they are right at the top of the pecking order. But it seems the sunshine-hued box and deep brown speckled shell of a Burford Brown – the egg of choice for middle-class shoppers – are no guarantee that you are buying the real deal.
Shoppers have been dismayed by reports that the eggs – not cheap at £4 for six large ones – are being taken out of their boxes and swapped with cheaper varieties.
Anita Wong, a nutritionist from west London, reported last month that her daughter had noticed their usual box of Burford Browns was full of regular eggs.
Not only were they small and missing the crown stamp of Clarence Court – the Wiltshire-based company that produces them – but once cracked they lacked the trademark deep golden yolks, the reason so many of their fans buy them.
Around twice the price of six basic large free-range eggs, these are – so Clarence Court and shoppers alike claim – no ordinary eggs.
They outperform competitors at Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, where sales have doubled in the past five years, as well as being a morning staple on the King and Queen’s breakfast table.
Eggs are big business. The average Briton now eats 199 eggs every year, up from 169 in 2004 – a total of 13 billion eggs consumed nationwide.
Not only are we buying more, but egg prices are rising thanks to so-called ‘eggflation’ – triggered by bird flu outbreaks around the globe which have led to an average price increase of 6.7 per cent across Europe.
As a food writer and cookbook author, I’ve been buying Burford Browns for years. Not only do they seem to poach better, whip up perfect omelettes and make cakes fluffier than other brands, but I swear they taste better – richer, creamier and more delicately flavoured – than the rest.
The pastel-hued box of Burford Browns – the egg of choice among middle-class shoppers
Supermarket swapping, however, isn’t the only story to besmirch the reputation of my beloved Burfords.
Influencer Sunna Van Kampen, known as @tonichealth, claimed in a TikTok post that the distinctive bright orange yolks are not a marker of quality, but rather a result of what the chickens have been fed. Sunna, who has 8.5 million likes on the platform, said: ‘The reason why your yolks are so dark and orange… is because they feed [the hens] marigold and paprika.’
He accused producers Clarence Court of having ‘commercialised’ this natural phenomenon, misleading shoppers into thinking they’re spending more on a box of superior, better-tasting eggs.
So what’s the truth? Are the nation’s favourite premium eggs all they’re cracked up to be – or a product of clever marketing?
With headquarters in the picturesque village of Lacock, Clarence Court sources its eggs from 161 free-range, high-welfare farms countrywide.
The Burford Browns come from 60 of those farms, with the chickens descending from a traditional Cotswolds hen, first bred commercially by 1940s poultry farmer Mabel Pearman.
‘Larger than average, the Clarence Court Burford Brown hens are akin to the traditional breeds of old that were kept to produce both eggs and meat,’ a spokesman explains.
Plump and with iridescent black feathers and a docile, friendly temperament, Burford Browns lay fewer eggs than other breeds – around 240 a year, compared with up to 320. But Clarence Court will not disclose exactly how many it produces or sells.
I am told: ‘In an age of intensive farming, our hens are given space to roam and the time to lay at their own natural, unhurried pace.’
When it comes to their somewhat-controversial diet, Clarence Court makes no secret of the ingredients fed to the chickens.
‘The golden yolk is a result of the traditional breed and their feed,’ the spokesman says.
‘Our Burford Browns are free to roam over acres where, as well as enjoying a maize-enriched diet formulated to include wheat, sunflower, seashell, soya, paprika and marigold, they often graze on the grass and wildflowers, too.’
While many of these are commonplace in the poultry feed market, the addition of paprika and marigold – both sources of carotenoid pigments, which are naturally occurring yellow and orange fat-soluble dyes – is what gives the yolks their golden hue.
Anita Wong reported last month their usual box of Burford Browns was full of regular eggs
The crown stamp of Clarence Court – the Wiltshire-based company that produces the egg
But this does not necessarily make them tastier – or better for you. ‘This changes the appearance rather than fundamentally altering flavour,’ explains Jane Howorth MBE, founder and chief executive of the British Hen Welfare Trust. ‘A vibrant yolk tells you something about what the hen ate, not that the egg is inherently superior.
‘Taste is more likely to be influenced by freshness, storage and the hen’s overall diet and welfare conditions, than by colour.’
And when it comes to nutrition, Dr Carrie Ruxton, a dietitian and egg expert, says there’s no evidence Burford Browns are any healthier than regular eggs.
‘Eggs are like a natural multi-vitamin, with high-quality protein, healthy fats, B vitamins, vitamin D, iodine, selenium and choline,’ she explains.
‘The composition is influenced mainly by what the hens eat, so most brands of eggs offer a similar nutritional profile.’
However, she adds, the appearance of Burford Browns in comparison to eggs with pale, watery yolks, may influence flavour in another way.
‘How our food looks also affects how we experience the taste. If an egg looks particularly tasty and colourful, there’s a good chance we’ll enjoy it more.’
As for their brown, dappled shells, the colouring is all down to the breed of hen. Generally, white-feathered hens lay white eggs and brown-feathered hens lay brown ones. Bizarrely, you can predict the colour of their eggs by examining a bird’s earlobe.
Historically, white shells were preferred but, since the 1970s, shoppers have moved towards brown, under the misconception that they are more natural or come from ‘heritage’ breeds.
According to Ian Dunn, a professor of avian biology at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh: ‘The colour of the shell is not linked to what is in the egg.
‘Developing eggs with different colours or appearances is marketing, really, not science.’
Jane Howorth adds: ‘The colour of the shell comes down to breed – it’s simply genetics.
‘A deep brown shell doesn’t mean an egg is more nutritious or of higher quality. What makes more difference is how the hen is kept and what she is fed.’
While Burford Browns have a pampered lifestyle compared to some other hens, they don’t enjoy a particularly long life.
The hens are not kept in cages and are free to roam outdoors. They can lay for between 21 and 76 weeks, after which time they are taken away and, for the most part, turned into pet food.
But their eggs, unlike some other premium brands, are not certified organic. This is a mark bestowed by the Soil Association, which outlines certain conditions for organic eggs, including allowing hens to have constant outdoor access, a certain amount of space and minimal antibiotics.
But Clarence Court hens are ‘debeaked’ which is not permitted for organic eggs. The process uses a hot blade to trim and cauterise beak tissue in day-old chicks, preventing them from pecking one another and causing injuries to fellow birds.
The process is widely used and legal but contentious, with animal rights charity Peta labelling it ‘cruel’ and ‘senseless’.
All Clarence Court eggs are RSPCA-assured. While the society has called for infrared beak trimming to be phased out, it does allow it under exceptional circumstances or as a last resort.
A Clarence Court spokesman insisted that its Burford Brown farmers ‘embrace RSPCA and British Egg Industry Council Lion production standards’, adding: ‘While organic eggs follow some additional rules around feed and farming practices, free-range eggs remain the most widely chosen high-welfare choice for consumers looking for responsibly produced eggs.’
For many egg aficionados, this will come as a shock – Burford Browns are, after all, synonymous with pedigree, excellence, and happy, healthy chickens.
‘For us, the starting point is always welfare,’ says Jane Howorth, explaining that the number stamped on an egg shell is the clearest way for customers to tell exactly how its laying hen has been kept.
Top tier, or 0, is organic, followed by 1 for free-range, 2 for barn and 3 for caged hens. You can buy organic eggs at most supermarkets from £2.85 – significantly less than a box of Burford Browns.
‘That code is one of the most useful tools shoppers have,’ Jane adds. ‘Ultimately, shell shade and yolk colour are largely aesthetic.’
Something to bear in mind, at least, next time you consider shelling out a small fortune on those premium egg brands.