How can I order eggs "over hard" in the UK?

I've recently made a couple of trips to the London area, and I've had a terrible time trying to convince the hotel breakfast cooks that I want my eggs fried "over hard", meaning that both the white and the yolk are cooked until solid.

It may just be that the cooks were not native English speakers, but I'm wondering whether this is a term used in American English but not in British English.

Is there a good way to express this in the UK?

Solution 1:

There's no word for this as such; in the UK 'fried eggs' always means 'sunny-side up', some places will understand 'over easy' but that's the limit of what is common knowledge.

Something like "I don't want the yolks runny" Or "I want the yolks cooked through" should do the trick.

This is anecdotal, as I can't find any references to this. When they understand you, ask them what they would call it!

Solution 2:

I'm a Brit who prefers fried eggs hard. There isn't a usual British English name for that, because it's an unusual preference here. I ask for them "Hard-fried, so that the yolks are solid" and that usually works.

Any variety of "over" in the description of a fried egg in the UK risks confusion. Many people know it is an American way of cooking eggs, but are unsure what it means, and may improvise.

Solution 3:

As an alternative to the other answers, you could ask for your egg to be fried with a "hard yolk". This is how I usually phrase this request.

It will usually be understood because hard / soft are commonly used in reference to boiled eggs: "hard boiled egg" vs "soft boiled egg".

Whether or not your request will actually be honoured is another matter! In my experience the chef will often just cook it the way he usually does (whether that means soft or hard). Perhaps because it's unusual for customers to be selective. I've never come across anyone except myself who specifies how they want their yolk in a fried egg.