Devilled kidneys – the devil is in the detail….

“The tea consumed was the very best, the coffee the very blackest, the cream the very thickest…. there were eggs in napkins, and crispy bits of bacon under silver covers…. and devilled kidneys frizzling on a hot water dish; which by the bye were placed closely contiguous to the plate of the worthy archdeacon himself.”

Anthony Trollope, The Warden

A friend recently (well, before lockdowns) treated me to breakfast at The Wolseley. The service, the place, everything was wonderful. The menu included just about every traditional British item you could think of as well as some more international ‘healthy’ options (the restaurant describes itself as ‘European’). In any case, the devilled kidneys on the menu at The Wolseley are served with fried bread rather than toast. A dish for the hearty… or rather those not worrying about their hearts!

I plumped for devilled kidneys. They were excellent, and I remembered that, once carefully prepared (ideally by someone else, such as your butcher – this is where the detail comes in), devilled kidneys are simple and quick.

Great for breakfast; brunch; or, with a crisp green salad, for lunch…. or even a light supper. As the Italian in the quote above suggests, in this grey, overcast isle, time gets confused. Devilled kidneys, like The Full English, is a dish which can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

For more about kidneys, follow this link.

This is how to do it.

Devilled kidneys at the Wolseley
Devilled kidneys at the Wolseley

Music to cook to

It has to be the theme music to Good Omens, all about the friendship between a good-ish angel, and a bad-ish devil.

This post is dedicated to Marie-Louise Laband.
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