Scottish Custard

1/2 pint (250 ml.) milk.
2 eggs.
1 oz. (25g.) sugar.
Vanilla essence

Method

Lightly beat the eggs. Heat the milk and pour over the beaten eggs. Strain. Warm over a low heat, with constant stirring, until custard thickens. Do not boil. Add the sugar and stir.

It would indeed seem a natural thing to combine milk and eggs into custards, and certainly it looks as if these were known in other parts of Scotland, since they are mentioned more than once in descriptions of the ancient Beltane customs, in the Statistical Account:

Upon the first of May, which is called Beltane, or Baltein Day, all the boys in a township or hamlet, meet in the moors. They kindle a fire, and dress a repast of milk and eggs in the consistence of a custard. They knead a cake of oatmeal, which is toasted at the embers against a stone. After the custard is eaten up, they divide the cake into so many portions, as similar as possible to one another in size and shape. Every one, blindfold, draws out a portion.

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