Scotch woodcock Scotch woodcock 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. It is most often served as an hors d'oeuvre. Scotch woodcock was served in the refreshment rooms of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as late as 1949. It was also served historically at the colleges of the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford and it continues to be served at the Oxford and Cambridge Club as an alternative to
Bakewell White Horse Inn (now called the Rutland Arms Hotel) left instructions for her cook to make a jam tart with an egg and almond paste pastry base. The cook, instead of stirring the eggs and almond paste mixture into the pastry, spread it on top of the jam. When cooked the jam rose through the paste. The result was successful enough for it to become a popular dish at the Inn, and commercial variations, usually with icing sugar on top, have spread the name. Three shops in Bakewell offer what they each claim is the original recipe. The Bakewell Tart