The UK is facing a nationwide egg shortage as the combined impact of avian flu and high production costs is causing supplies to shrink.

But if you've got a Christmas cake to bake or a craving for a full English breakfast what are cracking alternatives when a box of eggs is proving hard to come by?

1. Mashed bananas

With Christmas just around the corner an egg shortage risks playing havoc with baking recipes but an alternative could lie in the humble banana. Those of us who may have turned to lockdown banana bread making in the last two years will know just how much moisture can come from heavily mashing the fruit once its skin and peel has been discarded.

One mashed banana can replace one egg in cake and pancake recipes, suggest numerous online baking forums, providing that is that you don't mind the mild hint of banana in your festive offerings.

2. Plant based alternatives

With increasing numbers of people turning to a plant-based diet the number of vegan-friendly products is also increasing rapidly, with most major supermarkets now stocking a plant-based alternative to egg that could prove the ideal substitute on a full English breakfast.

Crackd 'the no egg egg' made from pea plant protein promises to be the UK's first and most versatile liquid replacement and is available from major retailers including Waitrose and online grocer Ocado while vegan egg yolk replacement Vegg simply requires you to add water to its 100% plant based mixture.

Asda is also selling Free and Easy Egg Replacer for £2.50 a tub with an ingredients list that includes potato and tapioca flour while Scrambled Oggs, which is available from Sainsbury's, was named in September as a winner in the 2022 The Grocer new product awards. Scooping the accolade in the egg alternatives category, 330ml costs around £3.25.

3. Apple purée

Just like mashed banana, softened apple can help you add moisture and sweetness to recipes when you're trying to - or having to - avoid using eggs. Cooking experts at organisation PETA UK (The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) suggest switching one egg with around a quarter of a cup of apple sauce or apple purée when wishing to bake without a hen's egg.

The purée can be made by cooking down apples completely until they become like a smooth paste or sticky sauce and can provide an alternative to the mashed banana if you're looking to avoid a stronger taste.

4. Yoghurt

Plain or greek yoghurt can add additional moisture to some recipes and like egg can add a richness thanks to the yoghurt's fat content. Also like the blended apple, it may have more of a subtle flavour compared to the often overpowering taste and smell of mashed banana.

Four tablespoons of yoghurt - or around 65ml - can often be interchangeable with an egg, suggest a number of baking websites, which also advise cooking the food for around 10 to 15 minutes longer to address the additional moisture your mixture might be carrying as a result.

5. Cornflour/ Potato flour

Used in cooking as a thickening agent cornflour - or cornstarch - is most regularly used in gravies and sauces.

So wherever a recipe may call for an egg to be used as a binding agent you may be able to substitute it by whisking two tablespoons of cornflour, or potato flour, with an equal amount of water to replace your one missing egg.

6. Flaxseed

For cooks keen on making their own burgers for tea or stuffing for Sunday's roast dinner - the addition of an egg can often help bind your ingredients together. But flax seed mixed with water - also known as flax egg - is a vegan substitute that promises to provide the same gelatinous texture that an egg white can offer.

Flax eggs can be made by mixing ground flaxseeds - or flaxseed meal - with water and leaving it to sit for around 15 minutes.

7. Tofu

Tofu, or bean curd, is made by curdling soya milk, shaping it into a block and then cooling it and can provide an eggy alternative where whole eggs or the texture of egg might be required such as in salads, sandwiches or quiches.

As an ideal alternative to boiled eggs, tofu is a popular switch particularly among vegans looking to recreate the texture in breakfasts and dinners.