A breakdown of the full English breakfast · I’m a food blogger

Bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast and beans on one plate – is a full English the best breakfast ever?

Confession: I have never had full English. At least not in England or anywhere in the world except here at home. But a couple of weeks ago, Mike and I were chatting with a guy who moved here from England and what he said he missed the most was breakfast, specifically a full English breakfast. He waxed poetic about the deliciousness for a good five minutes, but I wasn’t sold. Mike was nodding, agree with him because he has eaten many a full English in London, but me? No.

I wasn’t really interested until Mike showed me a picture a couple of days later. It was a giant plate and looked amazing. I mean, it could have been because I was really hungry, but nothing looked better in my eyes at the time. Thus began the Full English Obsession. Mike and I took a casual look around town to see what ingredients we could find and this is what we came up with!

What is a full English breakfast?

Sometimes called a fry up, a full English is a hearty, hearty breakfast dish served in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Full English breakfasts are so popular that they are offered practically all day as an all-day breakfast. Full English breakfasts include: sausages, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast and beans.

According to the internet, full English breakfasts need:

1. Sausages – I think everyone goes with the sausages they like, but sometimes there are 2 or 3 on a plate. We went with regular sausages for breakfast and also got some snook, which most people seem to insist on having too.
2. Back Bacon – This is not your usual bacon, which is made from pork belly, no, back bacon is bacon that includes some loin, a bit like a very thin but smoked pork chop. As far as I can tell, this type of bacon isn’t really crispy.
3. eggs – Quite simply, every full English dish I’ve seen has eggs on the sunny side.
4. tomatoes – These guys are cut in half along the equator and then pan-fried and seasoned with salt and pepper. They are not overcooked, they just give it a little color.
5. Mushrooms – Seems like a take-it-or-leave-it item, but we’re going to do everything here, so of course mushrooms are required. They are cooked in the usual way, nicely golden and caramelized
6. Toasts – Don’t call it toast because I’ve seen some fights break out on the internet over bread. You can’t just use a toaster and call it a day. Bread should be fried, either with butter or oil.
7. Beans – You must have beans! I mean, I’ve never had beans for breakfast, but it’s classic. We went for Heinz because that’s what they do in England and because their green cans are too pretty.

How to make a full English breakfast

It takes a bit of juggling and two pans, because doing complete English is mainly multitasking. You can do it!

1. Heat the beans. Open the can of beans and heat them in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Cook the sausages and bacon. While the beans are heating, cook the sausages over medium-low heat until golden brown and cooked through, turning as needed. Push the sausages to one side and add the bacon and fry, turning as needed.
3. If you are taking black nose, add to the pan and fry, turning once. Keep everything warm in the pan over low heat.
4. Cook the mushrooms and tomatoes. In another pan, fry the mushrooms until golden and caramelized. Move to the side. Add the tomatoes, cut side down, and sauté.
5. Fry the bread and cook the eggs. Remove the meats from the pan and fry the bread with the drippings until golden and crispy. Cook the eggs in the pan where the mushrooms and tomatoes were.
6. Silver and enjoy! Take the beans in the middle of the plate and add the bacon at 1-2, add the sausages at 3 and then the eggs at 6. If you have blood pudding, put it at 8. and then fill the rest of the plate with the tomatoes at 11 o’clock and the mushrooms at 12 o’clock. The fried bread can be tucked in or placed on a side dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Sausages Choose good sausages, preferably from your local butcher rather than supermarket sausages. Opt for a fresh, thick ground pork sausage that’s simply seasoned. In the UK, the sausages of choice are usually coarsely ground Cumberland or Lincolnshire sausages.
• black pudding It’s not an absolute must, but black pudding is very common and for black pudding lovers it’s a hill to die for. You can get this when you buy sausages from your butcher. If they don’t have black pudding, ask for sausage.
• English Bacon Bacon in the UK is not the bacon we know in North America. Back bacon is made from pork loin with a bit of belly. It’s the same sliced ​​pork chops, but thinner and smoked. Again, you can usually get them from a good butcher.
• eggs Every egg I’ve ever seen in a full English is sunny side up, but you can go wild and cook them however you like. I don’t think the English Breakfast Police will come after you 😉
• tomatoes Classic field tomatoes, no rums, no cherry, nothing fancy.
• Mushrooms. Simple brown (or cremini) mushrooms, halved.
• fried bread Thick-cut bread fried in a pan with oil or drippings and never toasted. I think what is needed is standard supermarket white bread, not sourdough or country bread. Definitely not brown!
• Beans. They must be Heinz!

Potatoes/hashbrowns

Any kind of potato is frowned upon in a full English. They look like fillers. If you even think about putting in fries, someone might get stabbed. You could do bubble and squeak (potatoes and cabbage mixed and fried) but even then some people will come after you.

Do they serve hash browns with full english breakfasts?

Some people serve hash browns with a full English and others think it’s sacrilegious. Hash browns are more modern and that’s why they’re so controversial. When you see hash browns in a full English, they’re usually the triangle frozen variety rather than the homemade mashed potatoes. If you want a potato product other than hash browns, bubble and squeak (fries and cabbage) it’s probably much more traditional.

What kind of baked beans?

British beans are absolutely a key part of a full English. British-style beans are made with beans and a tomato sauce seasoned with carrots, celery and Worcestershire. American-style southern beans are usually cooked with bacon and brown sugar, with a much thicker sauce. Opt for Heinz British-style beans. A reader suggested Branson’s Baked Beans. We haven’t tried them but the internet is talking about them very well!

What to serve with a full English breakfast

Coffee or tea! Tea is traditionally English, but coffee is also perfectly acceptable. Add milk, sugar and/or cream according to personal preference.

We did it on a snowy morning and it was perfect! Lots of hot tea, big fluffy flakes falling on the outside and ALL the fried bread. But to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m a big fan. Call me wild, but I think I like regular breakfast better. Mike, on the other hand, loved it! He said it was as good as the full English breakfasts he had while in London. Me instead? I didn’t eat for the rest of the day and went into a food coma – I was definitely full!

Happy breakfast!