Secrett deal for Watercress Lane Duck Eggs
The eggs will be supplied through Barsby Produce of Kings Lynn and confirms Watercress Lane as the UK’s premier supplier, at the forefront of championing duck eggs as a viable alternative to hens’.
Supplying the only eggs with ‘Blue Duck’ accreditation, which guarantees freshness and flavour, the Norfolk based producer is now in pole position as the chefs’ favourite and its eggs will soon be tempting the celebrities who favour restaurants such as Corrigans, The Ivy, Scotts, La Gavroche and Nobu.
The deal to supply Secretts was set up by Watercress Lane’s new sales manager, Gavin Fisher. “They were not certain at first,” said Gavin “but once Barsby’s got them to try the eggs they were immediately convinced. Secretts’ endorsement is a great boost for us and a justification of all our efforts to ensure a consistently fresh and high quality product.”
Secretts’ order list reads like a Michelin star food guide and it has a reputation for innovation and enthusiasm which sits comfortably with Watercress Lane’s approach.
“The restaurants we service demand the highest quality and these eggs fulfill that brief,” explains Vernon, whose clients include Michel Roux, Mark Hix, Gordon Ramsay, and Richard Corrigan. “They have a delicious rich yolk and are a perfect match for the seasonal asparagus we are producing at the moment.
“Over the past few years there has been a significant growth in interest from our restaurants and we will be stocking duck eggs all year round.” He added: “Duck eggs are adaptable to most recipes but I think they are best in their simplest form – duck egg and toast soldiers is a classic.”
Greater popularity with chefs is also reflected in growing consumer desire for a better tasting egg and Watercress Lane’s capability to provide duck eggs of a consistent quality and freshness throughout the year is giving retailers the reliability they need while the ‘Blue Duck’ logo helps build consumer trust.
Watercress Lane’s ‘Blue Duck’ accreditation scheme, introduced earlier this year, guarantees a top quality product produced to stringently high standards of freshness, food safety and animal welfare. With the company also being the only UK producer to date stamp its eggs with both lay and best-before dates it seems to have overcome all the hurdles to duck eggs becoming a mainstream kitchen staple as well as the egg of choice for top chefs.
Background information:
Watercress Lane duck eggs are produced by the Burwell Hatchery near Norwich in Norfolk. The company breeds and farms Pekin Ducks (a special strain) for egg production and employs 27 qualified staff. The Burwell Hatchery currently manages 28,000 birds producing over 12,000 dozen eggs per week.
The Watercress Lane ducks are barn kept and managed in accordance with the RSPCA’s Freedom Food code of conduct for hatcheries. The ducks are fed a specially balanced diet which provides just the right amount of vitamins to ensure a full and consistent flavour and all birds are vaccinated against salmonella at 14 and 18 weeks
Duck eggs are a gourmet product. They are larger than hen eggs with a richer flavour and the higher proportion of yolk to white makes them especially useful in baking. Duck eggs are also packed with vitamins and minerals, and provide a powerful protein boost, approximately 15% of the adult recommended daily allowance.
Watercress Lane duck eggs are natural, unbleached and unsalted. Eggs laid overnight are collected before 9am and are shipped the following day after washing and drying. Collection is manual and all eggs are hand inspected, candled and graded prior to delivery.