1. Boil the eggs in a pan of salted water for 5-8 minutes, depending on how hard boiled you want the yolks to be, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. Shell the eggs and set aside.
3. Finely chop the spring onion, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper and mix into the sausage meat.
4. Divide the sausage meat evenly into 4 portions and use cling film or baking parchment to flatten into oval shaped patties.
5. Place the flour, breadcrumbs and beaten eggs into three seperate bowls.
6. Pat one of the eggs with a little flour, then place onto a patty. Wrap the sausage meat around the egg until no egg is exposed, repeat with all the eggs.
7. Place the covered egg into the flour bowl and roll in the palm of your hands to form a ball.

To layer the egg:

1. Dip into the beaten egg mix using a spoon to turn it over.
2. Dip into the breadcrumb mix making sure to cover the complete egg.
3. Dip back into the beaten egg.
4. Dip back into the breadcrumb mix for the last time and set aside in the fridge to set.

To cook:

1. Use a heavy based pan to deep fry or we have shallow fried ours, add the vegetable oil and allow it to become hot before placing the eggs in (min 110' ).
2. Remove the eggs from the fridge and place directly into the hot oil, turning (if shallow frying ) to make sure all sides are evenly fried and are golden brown in colour. This should take 4-5 minutes. Place on a piece of kitchen towel to absorb any excess oils.

Top tips

• Add a few breadcrumbs to the pan to check the temperature; if it is hot enough for frying, they will pop and sizzle.
• Try using different herbs such as coriander, basil or sage mixed in with the sausage meat.
• Check out some of our other picnic recipes - Salmon & Spinach Quiche, Spinach & Ricotta Picnic Bites, Focaccia Tear & Share, Tuna Nicoise Salad - and have a read of our guide to picnic planning for the best tips!