Central Saint Martins graduate Annie Larkins addresses issues of food production with her unusually shaped egg-free alternative to chicken eggs, made using pea protein, salt and algae-derived acid.
Larkins' An Egg Without a Chicken project was begun in response to the industrial farming practices that are used to keep up with the high demand for eggs ? with around 36 million eaten per day in the UK.
"My project is a playful concept that is more open to debate than the oversimplified argument that 'animal is bad and plant is good', which is sometimes associated with veganism," she told Dezeen.
The designer set out to explore how design might be used to recreate or improve on the egg while not being limited by the biological capability of a hen. In doing so, she altered their shape, by elongating them or moulding them into cubes. But she wanted her substitute to stay true to the original food's form ? with a white and a yolk ? to have a shell that cracks, to have a similar nutritional value and taste, and to require no birds in the making.

"In the face of climate change, we need to move away from intensive animal agriculture and explore alternative sources of protein," Larkins explained.
"There is currently a growing interest in veganism, and demand for plant-based alternatives is at an all-time high," she continued.
"Whilst egg alternatives already exist ? either plant-based or grown synthetically in a laboratory ? they neglect the essence...