Vintage "Royal Worcester" Coddlers

First known as a "pipkin", egg coddlers were used in England from the 1800s. I can't say I've eaten a coddled egg, and in fact until not so long ago, I didn't know what they (or a coddler, for that matter) were! Coddlers are actually really nifty devices as it turns out - once you've popped your egg into the coddler, and closed the lid, you put the lot into some boiling water. With a handy ring on the lid, you can haul them out of the water as soon as your egg is cooked to perfection. Coddlers were made in a huge variety of designs, and different sizes too. In fact, while I've seen the small, single egg variety from time-to-time, the larger two-egg version on sale today was an unexpected find. I've since learnt that Royal Worcester still make this today. Another fun fact is that coddlers are made from porcelain and were designed to withstand high temperatures - which explains why this lot are in beautiful condition. One of the small coddlers however carries a crack on the inside (please see image) - it's a surface crack that I imagine originated from the lid being over-tightened. I'd probably repurpose this one for show but it does make a pretty toothpick holder minus its lid. Both the single two-egg and pair of one-egg coddlers come with some sweet instructions on use. That said, Google has a host of recipes and handy info available on these vintage gems!