Scotch woodcock explained

Scotch woodcock is a British savoury dish consisting of creamy, lightly-scrambled eggs served on toast that has been spread with anchovy paste or Gentleman's Relish, and sometimes topped with chopped herbs and black pepper.^{[1] [2]}

Scotch woodcock was served in the refreshment rooms of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom till late 1949.^[3] It was also served historically at the colleges of the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford,^[4] and it continues to be served at the Oxford and Cambridge Club as an alternative to sweet desserts or a cheeseboard.

It was a well-known dish in the Victorian era, and is mentioned in Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management.^[5]

The name is modelled on Welsh rabbit.^[6] Similar to Welsh rabbit, which contains no rabbit meat, the dish has no woodcock, a type of bird, in its ingredients at all.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Book: Boxer, A. . Arabella Boxer's Book of English Food: A Rediscovery of British Food From Before the War . Penguin Books Limited . 2012 . 978-0-241-96167-4 . pt301.
2. Book: Herbst . R. . Herbst . S.T. . The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion, 2nd edition . Barron's Educational Series . 2015 . 978-1-4380-7621-8 . pt872–873.
3. Wilcox . J.H. . 1949 . The kitchen and refreshment rooms of the house of commons . Journal of Parliamentary Affairs . III. 2 . 316–320. 10.1093/oxfordjournals.pa.a052613 .
4. Book: Aylmer, Ursula . Carolyn McCrum . 2005 . Oxford Food: An Anthology . Ashmolean Museum . 26 . 1-85444-058-6 .
5. Book: Beeton, Isabella. Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management . 2000 . Oxford University Press . 0-19-283345-6 .
6. John Ayto, An A-Z of Food and Drink, Oxford University Press, 2002, s.v. 'Scotch woodcock'
7. Web site: French fries aren't French and other deceptively named foods. .