In England, soft boiled eggs are traditional on the breakfast table. English children call them Egg and Soldiers- the “soldiers” being strips of buttered toast.
To make this treat, an egg is boiled for a set time, placed in an egg cup (a holder for a soft cooked egg), the top of the shell is removed and a spoon and strips of buttered toast are dipped into the now opened egg and eaten with delight.
In Agatha Christie’s Murder at the Vicarage, the cook Mary cannot boil a proper soft cooked egg! Perhaps it is more difficult than it sounds.
I shall play ‘Mary’, find my Beatrix Potter egg cup and attempt a perfect 3 minute egg.
Living Miss Marple 