So we're going to celebrate that most humble, yet oh-so-versatile of ingredients.

Here's some egg facts to start us off:

  • As a nation, we eat 32 million eggs every day.
  • Our retail market for eggs is worth £955 million, accounting for 53% off all eggs sold in the UK.
  • 52% of the eggs sold in the retail market are free-range.
  • There are over 33 million laying hens in the UK, not including those kept at home and on smallholdings.
  • 'Double-yolkers' account for less than 0.1% of all eggs.

British Egg Week has been part of the calendar since at least the 1920s - look at this amazing Harrods display from the 1920s.

We've brought together a collection of perfect egg recipes from the family kitchen favourite, Jamie Oliver.

Scrambled Eggs - pop them on hot buttered toast for the perfect start to the day

Poached Eggs - not as tricky as you might think

Sunny-Side-Up Fried Eggs - the ideal partner for crispy bacon, but if you put them on a sandwich make sure you have a napkin for the runny yolk!

fried eggs

Baked Eggs - cook them with... almost anything you like

baked eggs

Omelette - a simple, delicious lunch or supper

omelette

Mayonnaise - well worth the whisking

mayonnaise

Eggs Benedict - the best brunch in Britain

eggs benedict

There's over 500 fantastic egg-based recipes on the British Egg Week website, including Marcus Wareings's Baked Egg Custard Tart (as seen on the Great British Menu) and Tom Kitchin's Eggs en Cocotte.

This simple guide will help you check how fresh your eggs are before you start cooking:

egg freshness

There's plenty of great products at Lawsons to help your cooking egg-ventures (sorry!) - from pans and pockets for poached eggs, to rings for neat fried eggs and egg cups for boiled eggs. Look at these egg cups in the style of a mini bucket - they're cracking!