We're coming out of our shells when it comes to eggs

We are turning into a nation of egg-heads, according to research for Bord Bia, which found that sales of eggs grew by 7 per cent in the past year.

This compares with a static market for most other fresh foods, according to Bord Bia's consumer and trade marketing manager Teresa Brophy.

She said Irish people spent €92 million buying 375 million eggs in the year up to July.

The number of people eating eggs for dinner or a snack doubled over the past year, while an additional 370,000 dinners were made with eggs each week, compared with 2012 figures.

Ms Brophy said 37 per cent of the population now ate eggs as part of their main meal.

“At weekends more people are having brunch,” she said. “Omelettes are very popular, and things like frittatas, poached eggs and french toast are growing in popularity. People are getting more adventurous. We are cooking more at home from scratch, with fresh ingredients and entertaining at home more.”

She also highlighted the revival in home-baking. In December 2011, 7 per cent of adults surveyed were using eggs in homemade desserts. By June of this year that had increased to 18 per cent.

The recession may also be boosting egg sales as the average cost of an egg is just 24 cent, significantly less than its meatier rivals.

This year Bord Bia launched a campaign to encourage people to make family meals using Bord Bia-quality assured eggs.

The research comes from two separate studies prepared for Bord Bia by Kantar Worldpanel and Behaviour & Attitudes.

But despite our growing interest in eggs, we are still behind many countries when it comes to consumption. Mexico is the egg-eating capital of the world, with its residents munching through 358 eggs per capita per year, compared with 165 eggs here.

Japan, Malaysia, Ukraine and Canada complete the top five when it comes to serious egg-eaters, according to the International Egg Commission.