I live by the motto, “you are what you eat” – I say this often because it is essential to put the best into my body in order to get the best out of it.

But, it is even more imperative to put the best ingredients into my cooking and baking – because you as my customers, family and friends are just as important to me.

On the Banting way of eating, eggs dominate the diet. I eat eggs for breakfast, practically every day, and I use between 3 and 8 eggs in my baked goods, at a time – therefore the quality of egg is of the utmost importance.

Eggs are high in protein and fat and according to http://www.eggs.ca, eggs are one of the few foods considered to be a complete protein, because they contain all 9 essential amino acids. Amino acids are considered the “building blocks for the body” because they help form protein.

There are many vitamins and minerals found in eggs, which benefit us in the following ways:

When it comes to baking gluten free, the most common binder is egg. Eggs are an essential ingredient in gluten free baking because they can replace many of the functions that gluten provides, such as binding, enhancing texture and helping set the structure of the final product.

In a cake, for example, the eggs serve as a leavening agent, helping to make the cake light and fluffy. In baked goods such as biscuits and muffins, the eggs add moisture and act as a binder, gluing all the other ingredients together.

According to some farmers, “free range egg” is the biggest lie we’ve ever been told because we imagine free range to mean that the chickens have a happy life, pecking and clucking around green pastures in the sunshine – while it actually means that they live in a barn, with only very occasional access to the outside, which is fenced off. (The minimum requirements as specified by the South African Poultry Association.)

The majority of hens in this country are cage raised, which means that they live in a cage that is about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, which doesn’t even bear thinking about.

That’s why you need to think carefully when purchasing your eggs because once again “you are what you eat”. These caged hens are obviously not fed a lavish diet as they are only provided with the bare minimum in order to lay eggs that are good enough to be sold.

I take my eggs very seriously and that’s why I was beyond “eggcited” when I found Solitaire Free Range Eggs and spoke to farmer Graham personally – who set my mind at ease, when I told him my fears about the conditions the eggs are laid in and the diet the hens are fed.

Farmer Graham assured me that Solitaire’s eggs are laid by high quality, healthy hens, which roam freely during the day and are fed on a varied vegetarian diet of grains and pulses, free from preservatives, colourants, or animal-by-products.

The quality is in the yolk – I have never seen such delicious, golden-orange yolks before. They literally change the colour of the cake batter because they are so rich and luxurious. On baking with these eggs, I bubble over with happiness and I think the quality is definitely apparent in the final product – “the proof is in the pudding” as they say.

I’m not the only one who is in love with these eggs; they are the preferred supplier to Melissa’s, the Spar Group and Food Lovers Market.

When choosing the foods you cook with, I urge you to be more conscious about what goes into your mouth and the mouths of your family, and to become aware of where these products come from. Supporting local, smaller farmers, who have a passion for what they do, in my opinion, is the best way to go.