The Hairy Bikers’ Chicken & Egg: the pair discuss their two favourite ingredients

What came first – the chicken or the egg? For the Hairy Bikers, it doesn’t matter so long as they can keep cooking with their two favourite ingredients. The culinary creatives share with Julia Platt Leonard the inspiration behind their new cookbook

Are there two foods with greater pun potential than the chicken and egg? Probably not. And reason enough for Si King and Dave Myers – aka The Hairy Bikers – to choose them as the subject for their latest cookbook and television series called simply Chicken & Egg. The two have worked (and joked) together on television series and written close to 20 cookbooks since they met more than two decades ago.

You can almost hear the “why did the chicken cross the road?” line as you open the book. And sure enough there it is, printed on the jacket flap. The answer? “To buy this cookbook,” of course. And you’re only a few words into the introduction before they’re telling you how “egg-cited” they are and encouraging us to do the “funky chicken”. That’s not even to mention the photo of Si dressed up as an egg and Dave as a rather grumpy looking chicken on the title page…

It’s all about confidence ... A load of air and a load of egg whites

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But scratch the surface (sorry, but it’s a bit contagious) and you find that chicken and eggs are both near and dear to their hearts. They speak with spirit about chicken as the “egalitarian meat”. “It’s an inherent part of everybody’s culture,” says Si. To prove the point, they travelled widely for the TV series and book. Included in their travels were jaunts to the U.S. (southern fried chicken), Israel (chicken shawarma), Morocco (Seffa – a dish served with couscous and garnished with a sauce made from almonds, sugar and cinnamon) and England (recipes include a lovely Caribbean jerk chicken from Lorenzo Richards at his Wildmoor Oak restaurant in Worcestershire).

Their interest in chicken and eggs started off at home as children growing up. Both of their mums were keen cooks and made some of their favourites using chicken and eggs. To return the favour, they’ve dedicated the book to their mums and credit them with a lifelong love of cooking.

For Si, it started with a dad who was in the navy and brought home what at the time were exotic ingredients like lemon grass and star anise. The youngest of three, he grew up with his mum experimenting with the foods his dad brought home. Growing up in a pit village in County Durham, he reckons the neighbours must have wondered what the “odd smells” were coming from their kitchen.

For Dave, chicken was synonymous with Sunday lunch. But back then, chicken was a big deal and his mum eked out three or four meals from one bird. The roast was served with stuffing, cauliflower cheese and one if not two potato dishes on the first day. Day two was cold chicken with bubble and squeak and the third, chicken soup made from homemade stock from the carcass along with any meaty bits Dave hadn’t managed to nick.

It’s the kind of nose to tail eating that’s become trendy as we look for ways to counter the enormous of amount of food wasted every day. They point out that chicken easily lends itself to frugal but tasty eating. To prove the point, they include in the book illustrated guides to jointing a chicken, boning a chicken thigh, and butterflying a chicken breast. There’s even a nice bit on how to spatchcock a bird to flatten it out so it cooks faster. All satisfying and simple tasks that help the home cook get the most out of a bird with the added benefit of cutting food costs by doing it yourself.

While chicken was an iconic food of both their childhoods, eggs weren’t far behind. There is a look of glee as they talk about eggs and soldiers and the perfectly cooked scrambled egg – something they say Americans could learn a thing or two about doing properly. Even souffles are a doddle they say. “It’s all about confidence,” Si says. “A load of air and a load of egg whites”. For those not convinced (yet) there is a recipe in the book for twice-baked soufflé as a confidence booster.

Chicken is apparently the second most widely eaten meat in the world

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It’s not all savoury either. When it comes to sweets, they speak of banana crème brûlée, Portuguese custard tarts and classic crème caramel in reverential tones. It might strike you as funny that so many desserts are included when you think of some of their recent titles such as The Hairy Dieters, The Hairy Dieters Eat for Life, The Hairy Dieters Good Eating and The Hairy Dieters Fast Food. Chicken &Egg is definitely not a diet book. Butter, sugar and cream unapologetically grace many of the recipes.

What you sense is that while Chicken & Egg isn’t about dieting, the healthy eating message isn’t gone, simply tempered with a splash of culinary hedonism. They’re quick to point out that half a roast chicken (albeit without the skin) has only about 450 calories. Or that the egg – until recently maligned as a cholesterol-fuelled no go zone – has been given the all clear and rightfully returned to our kitchens. They add that an egg only contains 80 calories (skip the butter) and is high in protein. Of both chicken and eggs, Dave says, “they tick a lot of boxes”.

They’re not alone it seems. Chicken is apparently the second most widely eaten meat in the world and Si and Dave see a time when it will take the top spot. They clearly love the facts and figures, sharing tales of how chickens are reared everywhere except Vatican City (not enough space) and Antarctica (no outside animals can be introduced). “How it’s become one of the most – and will be the most eaten meat across the planet – is absolutely fascinating,” says Si.

Their irrepressible enthusiasm has been a trademark of their writing and TV work since the Hairy Bikers first launched. The two met on a TV set (Si was a director while Dave was a make-up artist) back in 1993 and hit it off immediately. They came up with an idea to combine their love of food and motorcycles which they admit sounded mad. But Dave adds, “if you’ve got a daft idea, it’s probably good to have a go.” Add to that an endless supply of chicken jokes, heaps of charisma, and a deep passion for cooking and you’ve got a recipe for success.