EVERYONE was shell shocked by the size of it - and today it was cracking time!And the verdict on hen Tikka Marsala's giant egg was tasty, very, very tasty.

EVERYONE was shell shocked by the size of it – and today it was cracking time!

And the verdict on hen Tikka Marsala's giant egg was tasty, very, very tasty.

TV cameras filmed as the Evening Star's Felixstowe Editor Richard Cornwell – who “broke” the story about the huge egg in the paper last week – tucked into it after it was fired up by the hen's owner Theresa Salmon.

It proved to be a double yoker as she cracked the egg on the edge of the frying pan in her kitchen at Dunhill Cottages, Church Lane, Levington.

She said: “That's pretty much what I was expecting.

“I thought it might have been a triple yoke but they are very rare.

“It's been a lot of fun and lots of family and friends have seen the egg over the past few days and we thought now was the time to break it open and cook it up.

“Tikka Marsala can now go back to her normal life although she does walk a bit funnier than she used to”.

The chicken lives with 16 others – a mixture of Rhode Island Reds, Bantams and Black Rocks.

The egg was found by Mrs Salmon's father 86-year-old Andre Skladnik who lives with them and looks after the chickens.

The family bought the chickens for Mr Skladnik to look after to help him with his convalescence following a stroke. He said he was as surprised as anyone by the huge egg.

The chickens produced around 10 to 14 eggs a day and he feeds them on left overs and corn.

And Richard's verdict on the egg was: “Delicious, I'm always ready for a fried egg sandwich whatever the size”.

n. Has your chicken laid a bigger egg? Contact the Evening Star news desk on 01473 324788.