Duck eggs are becoming more readily available, either through farm shops or bigger supermarkets.

According to culinary experts, duck eggs have a richer yolk than chicken eggs — making them ideal for baking and other egg-based treats, like French toast. They make the best sponges, both for flavour and texture. You'll also have richer sweets because of the larger yolk.

Generally cakes made with ducks' eggs will rise slightly more and be slightly richer, and they may also last a day or two longer.

Bakers love duck eggs as compared top chicken eggs. Their higher fat and protein levels mean cakes made with duck eggs tend to be lighter, fluffier, rise higher, stay moist for longer and have a better texture. The higher fat content in duck eggs also gives meringues more volume and stability.

Duck eggs really do make the most incredible pasta, the larger, richer and fattier yolk really does make a marked difference! Weight for weight duck eggs contain more fat, protein and carbohydrates than chicken eggs. Most importantly they have a lower water content. This leads to a richer, silkier and altogether tastier pasta.

Although both chicken and duck eggs are nutritious, duck eggs tend to contain even higher amounts of some nutrients than chicken eggs, including folate, iron, and vitamin B12. Duck eggs contain as much as 168% or more of the Daily Value for vitamin B12.

Duck eggs are slightly bigger than your average hen’s egg, about 30% heavier, weighing in at about 70g on average versus around 50g for a hen. The shells are much thicker and they tend to be grey to off-white, but are often discoloured because a duck’s feathers and feet may be slightly dirtier. Don’t be put off by this though. So long as the egg is fresh and laid in a clean nest by a healthy duck, and collected within a few hours of being laid, then stored in your fridge, it will be safe to eat.

The thicker shell also means that duck eggs will store for longer than hen eggs (up to 6 weeks in a cool environment).

Be sure not to wash the eggs before storing as this removes the protective mucus coating from the shell which seals it and keeps air from permeating to the inside of the shell.