“There’s something in the citrussy, pine tang of celery that really lifts egg’s sulphurous low notes.”

^{-Niki Segnit, The Flavour Thesaurus}

Lots of people don’t like olives, some don’t like fish, others are allergic to seafood, caviare is an acquired taste, and for many, foie gras might not be illegal, but either  it’s immoral or it’s so rich it makes them sick. Almost every man I know, however, likes quail’s eggs – and they almost always go together with shop-bought celery salt.

Recently I was listening to a foodie radio programme, recorded in the English fenlands among celery farmers. The panel was asked to give uses for celery salt… indeed to justify the very existence of the vegetable itself (the questioner considered it tasteless and insipid). One of the panelists, Henry Dimbleby, founder of the Leon chain of restaurants and son of the famed food writer,  Josceline Dimbleby, commented that at one well-known sandwich shop chain, celery salt is known as ‘magic sprinkles’ and sifted over everything as an easy and excellent source of umami flavour.

You can very easily make your own, rather more interesting, salt to pep up the taste of these beautiful little eggs and it makes an excellent Christmas present.

Go here for a post on quails’ eggs – how to cook them, what to do with them.

Recipe for Macho Celery Salt

All you have to do is to mix:

• 4 tbsp Maldon sea salt
• 1 tbsp black sea  or lava salt
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds (ground in a pestle and mortar)
• ½ tsp black onion seeds
• 2 tbsp ground celery seeds

and find a pretty jar and a ribbon.

Joss Stone sings It’s a Man’s World

Camélia Jordana sings Mes Hommes

Billie Ellish sings Bad Guy