It’s hard to conjure a more quintessentially British challenge than approaching the humble scotch egg and deciding, yes, but what if it were enormous? As summarized in UPI’s straight-faced report, the latest entry in this grand tradition comes courtesy of Phoenix Ross and Oli Paterson, a duo of social media chefs who recently took record-breaking snacking to a new circumference.

The Anatomy of an Oversized Oddity

UPI describes how the two chefs convened in Enfield, England, with an ambitious plan: to surpass a Guinness World Record for the largest scotch egg—one that had, until now, weighed in at 13 pounds and 10 ounces and endured unchallenged for close to two decades. Instead of your standard hen’s egg, their project called for an ostrich egg at the center (a practical if slightly audacious substitution), then layered in the classic manner: sausage meat, breadcrumbs, and the delicate act of deep-frying.

The undertaking wasn’t without its missteps. Footage reviewed by UPI shows their initial attempt literally falling apart at the fryer stage; apparently, there are limits to how much structural integrity sausage meat can provide at scale. The chefs’ perseverance, however, paid off in a second go: the egg emerged intact from its perilous bath, boasting a circumference of 31.3 inches and clocking in at a substantial 17 pounds, 3.48 ounces. That’s about the weight of a medium-sized dog or every lunch from a week of uninspired office catering.

What Becomes of a Mega Egg?

As noted in UPI’s account, rather than letting the mighty egg go to waste or causing a spectacle with oversized slices at a park, Ross and Paterson opted for a somewhat unglamorous but logical solution: they sampled portions for themselves, then diced the rest to make frozen breakfast burritos. Whether this qualifies as innovation or simply thrift, it’s hard to say, but it certainly suggests a level-headedness uncommon in the realm of food-based record attempts. There’s a kind of understated charm to feeding the accomplishment directly back into practical weekly meals. Does the world’s largest scotch egg find its destiny in a freezer bag, waiting for the next hurried morning?

The Record-Breaking Arms Race of the Absurd

Grouped among UPI’s other recent chronicles of the offbeat—a green pigeon drawing curious crowds, a python confounding Massachusetts residents, and a dog rescued in Alaska after a nine-day wilderness odyssey—the scotch egg story feels right at home. The record’s new scale, bordering on improbable, prompts a series of questions: Will some enterprising chef escalate to a more extravagant egg, perhaps emu next? Did someone calculate the ideal sausage-to-breadcrumb support structure, or is sheer trial and error the backbone of such culinary engineering? At some point, do you just need a forklift and a fire extinguisher?

There’s also the simple pleasure of seeing a plan—however over-the-top—come together, even if it takes a second try and produces a snack no one truly asked for. Food traditions may not always need to be supersized, but apparently there was at least one record-holder’s void just waiting to be filled with ostrich egg and pork.

For the Archives: When Enough Is Never Enough

Sometimes a story slots so neatly into the “delightfully needless achievement” file that it doesn’t need exaggeration. As UPI documents, two chefs, a record, a giant scotch egg—then, back to breakfast as usual. No outsize fallout, no societal impact, just the reassurance that somewhere, people are still doing things simply because they can.

Will someone next year see this as an invitation to wrap a turkey egg or scale things up further? Or will this be the apex of encasing eggs, meat, and breadcrumbs in a single, precarious sphere? For now, at least, there’s a place in the annals of snacking excess for Ross and Paterson—and perhaps a few dozen breakfast burritos in their freezer as a reminder.