Apart from at Easter, we don’t pay a huge amount of attention to eggs. They’re a food product largely taken for granted in the UK, alongside milk and bread. But if egg production stopped making financial sense for producers, we’d quickly notice their absence.

We consume over 36 million eggs in the UK every day, and they’re a vital product in many of our favourite confections and baked goods. The egg market contributes around £4.5 billion to the UK economy, but even the highest welfare eggs sold in Waitrose only make the producer £0.23p per egg, meaning you’d have to produce a lot to make a living.

I spoke with Guy, Philly and Hugo Lee at Sandystones farm near St Boswells, to learn about their organic egg production. But I ended up learning so much more; about the economics of food production, the dynamics of running a family farm, the importance of adaptability, and why a thriving local food market in the Borders is highly unlikely…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In this episode:

Sandystones Farm, St Boswells.

Agrimart Magazine - www.agrimart.co.uk

Hugo Lee on X - @farmerhughie

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The FoodScape Podcast explores how food shapes the lives and land of the Scottish Borders. It also asks the question; what more could food do for us?

From boosting local economy and creating jobs, supporting biodiversity and improving soil, to establishing a place as a destination; what would it look like for our place to thrive, and can food help us get there?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Produced & Presented by Charlotte Maberly

Music by Iain Fraser from his album Koterana