Eggs come in a variety of colours from white to dark brown and blue. Other colours are seen in supermarkets which come from various hybrids.

The colour of the shell does not affect the taste or yolk colour - these depend entirely on what the bird feeds on. Access to green stuff, especially grass, leads to a rich yellow yolk; fishy foods should never be given to birds as this can pass to eggs and taint them.

In general terms, chickens start to lay from about 24 weeks, but this does vary between breeds and individuals. Late hatched birds may not start to lay until the following year. They lay the most eggs during their first two or three years. They may stop laying altogether after 5 or 6 years, but again, this does vary considerably.

Egg colour varies from bird to bird and with a small flock it is quite possible to know which bird laid which egg. Colour also tends to become lighter through the year and from year to year. Some birds also produce speckles on their eggs.

Bantam eggs are lovely too, especially for children. When cooking, use two bantam eggs to one large one.