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They were once the staple of picnics and packed lunches across Britain —usually served cold, hard and with an unappealing bright orange crust.

But after the Scotch egg made a triumphant comeback in a number of restaurants across London, a Michelin-starred chef has gone one step further by creating the most expensive version in the world —at £500.

Inside is a Clarence Court Burford Brown egg — a snip at £1 each — which is then draped in 24-carat edible gold leaf.

This is wrapped in a puree made from rare, rod-caught wild salmon from the Callart Estate in Scotland before it is coated in Japanese panko breadcrumbs.

It is then served with beluga caviar and a mustard and dill sauce, and eaten with a mother of pearl spoon which the diner can keep.

It has been created by chef Tim Allen, 37, of Kensington restaurant Launceston Place, who earned two Michelin stars in his time at Whatley Manor in Wiltshire.

He said: “Scotch eggs are traditionally a comfort food but what we’ve done here is go to the other extreme and take the finest ingredients we could find to produce the best possible Scotch egg. There are still a lot of bad Scotch eggs out there, and to do them properly is a bit of a science. It certainly is with this one.”

The dish has been created for the Taste of London food festival which runs from 21-24 June in Regent’s Park. Allen will create a toned-down version, without the gold, for his restaurant.

Taste of London visitors will have the chance to win the £500 dish as well as dinner for two at Launceston Place by buying a £5 raffle ticket, with proceeds going to the Jamie Oliver Foundation, a charity partner for Taste of London.

Gold leaf leaves a metallic taste

Slicing into the Scotch egg, the perfect yolk oozes out and reveals the gold leaf inside. The panko breadcrumbs produce a golden brown casing that is crisp but light and the dense texture of the salmon is a worthy substitute for sausage-meat.

The caviar provides a salty hit and the flavours combine well with the aromatic sweetness of the mustard and dill side.

It’s only after I’ve finished that I notice a lingering metallic taste from the gold.

Alistair Foster