Bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, and beans all on one plate:is a Full English breakfast the most ultimate breakfast ever?
Confession: I’ve never had a real full English. At least not in England or anywhere in world in fact, except right here, at home. But a couple of weeks ago, Mike and I were chatting with a dude that moved here from England and the thing 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 along, agreeing with him because he’s eaten many a full English in London, but me? Nope.
I really wasn’t interested until Mike showed me a photo a couple days later. It was a giant plate and it looked AMAZING. I mean, it might have been because I was very hungry, but at the time, nothing looked better to my eyes. Thus started the Full English Obsession. Mike and I took a casual look around town to see what ingredients we could find and here’s what we came up with!
What is a full English breakfast?
Sometimes called a fry up, a full English is a hearty, hefty breakfast plate served in the UK and Ireland. Full English breakfasts are so popular that they’re pretty much offered throughout the day as all-day breakfast. Full English breakfasts contain: sausages, back bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread, and beans.
According to the internet, full English breakfasts need:
- Sausages – I think everyone just goes with whatever sausages they like, but sometimes there are 2-3 kinds on a plate. We went with regular breakfast sausages and we also got a bit of black pudding, which seems like most people insist on having as well.
- Back Bacon – This isn’t your regular bacon, which is made from pork belly, nope, back bacon is bacon that includes a little bit of the loin, kinda like a super thin pork chop but smoked. From what I can see, this kind of bacon isn’t really crispy.
- Eggs – Pretty straight forward, all the full English plates I’ve seen have sunny side up eggs.
- Tomatoes– These guys are cut in half along the equator and then seared in the pan and seasoned with salt and pepper. They aren’t really cooked, just given a little bit of color.
- Mushrooms – Seems like a take or leave it item, but we’re going all out here so of course mushrooms are needed. They’re cooked in the usual way, nicely browned and caramelized
- Toast – Don’t call it toast because I’ve seen some internet fights break out about the bread. You can’t just use a toaster and call it a day. The bread has to be FRIED, either with butter or oil.
- Beans – You have to have beans! I mean, I’ve never really had beans at breakfast, but it’s classic. We went for Heinz because that’s what they do in England and because their teal cans are too cute.
Annotated by Mike
How to make a full English Breakfast
It takes a bit of juggling and two pans, because making a full English is mostly about multitasking. You can do it!
- Warm the beans. Open the can of beans and warm in a small pot over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the sausages and bacon. While the beans are warming, cook the sausages over medium to medium low, until browned and cooked through, turning as needed. Push the sausages to one side and add the bacon and fry, flipping as needed.
- If you’re having black pudding, add it to the pan and fry, flipping once. Keep everything warm in the pan over a low flame.
- Cook the mushrooms and tomatoes. In another pan, sear the mushrooms until brown and caramelized. Move to one side. Add the tomatoes, cut side down and sear.
- Fry the bread and cook the eggs. Move the meats from the pan and fry the bread in the drippings until golden and crisp. Cook the eggs in the pan that the mushrooms and tomatoes were in.
- Plate and enjoy! Scoop the beans in the middle of the plate then add the bacon at 1-2 o’clock, add the sausages at 3 o’clock, then the eggs at 6. If you have blood pudding, pop that on at 8 o’clock and then fill the rest of the plate with the tomatoes at 11 o’clock and the mushrooms at 12. Fried bread can get tucked in wherever or placed on a side plate. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Sausages. Chose good sausages, preferably ones that are from your local butcher instead of supermarket sausages. Go for a fresh coarse ground pork sausage that’s seasoned simply. In the UK the sausages of choice are usually coarse ground Cumberland or Lincolnshire sausages.
- Black pudding. Not an absolute necessity but black pudding is super common and for black pudding lovers it’s a hill they will die on. You can get this when you’re buying sausages at your butcher. If they don’t have black pudding, ask for blood sausage.
- English Bacon. The 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 cut pork chops, but thinner and smoked. Again, you can usually get this a good butcher.
- Eggs. All the eggs I’ve ever seen in a full English are sunny side up but you can go wild and cook them how you like. I don’t think the English breakfast police will come after you ;)
- Tomatoes. Classic field tomatoes, not romas, not cherry, not anything super 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 a standard supermarket white loaf is what’s needed, not a sourdough or country loaf. Definitely not brown!
- Beans. They’ve got to be Heinz!
Potatoes/hashbrowns
Any sort of potato is frowned upon on a full English. They’re seen as filler. If you even think of putting fries on, someone might get stabbed. You could do bubble and squeak (potatoes and cabbage mixed together and fried) but even then, some people are going to come after you.
Do they serve hash browns with Full English breakfasts?
Some people serve hash browns with a full English and some people think it is sacrilegious. Hash browns are more modern addition and that’s why they are so contentious. When you do see hash browns on a full English, they typically tend to be the triangle frozen variety as opposed to home made shredded potatoes. If you want a potato product that isn’t hash browns, bubble and squeak (fried potatoes and cabbage) is probably much more traditional.
Which kind of baked beans?
British baked 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 baked beans are usually cooked with bacon and brown sugar, with a much more thick sauce. Go for British style Heinz baked beans. A reader suggested Branson baked beans. We haven’t tried them but they’re spoken of very highly on the internet!
What to serve with a full English breakfast
Coffee or tea! Tea is traditionally English but coffee is perfectly acceptable too. Add milk, sugar, and/or cream based on personal preference.
We made this on a snowy morning and it was perfect! Lots of hot tea, big fluffy flakes falling down outside, and ALL the fried bread. But, to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m a huge fan. Call me a savage, but I think I love regular breakfast more. Mike on the other hand, LOVED it! He said it was as good as the full English breakfasts he had while he was in London. Me on the other hand? I didn’t eat for the rest of the day and went into a food coma – I was definitely full!
Happy breakfasting!
How to Make a Full English Breakfast
Bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, and beans all on one plate:is a Full English breakfast the most ultimate breakfast ever?
Serves 2
4.74 from 91 votes
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 can beans Heinz preferred
- 4 links sausages breakfast sausage preferred
- 4 slices back bacon or Irish bacon
- 4 slices black pudding optional... some say
- 1 cup mushrooms halved or sliced
- 2 small tomatoes halved
- 4 slices bread
- 4 eggs
Instructions
Heat up the beans over low in a small pot. Keep warm on low.
(Video) A Not-So-English Breakfast
Cook the sausages over medium to medium low heat, turning occasionally, until brown and cooked through. In the same pan, cook the bacon, flipping as needed.Fry the blood pudding slices over medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side.
In another pan, heat up a bit of oil and cook the mushrooms, without moving, until brown and caramelized. Remove from the pan, then sear the cut side of the tomato briefly. Remove from the pan, season everything with salt and pepper.
Wipe the pan down and heat up a bit of oil or butter over medium heat. Fry the bread until golden, flipping and adding more oil or butter as needed. Remove and set aside. Finally, fry the eggs to your liking. Plate everything up: sausages, bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, tomato, bread, and eggs. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
This is really more than enough food for 4 people, but nutritional info is done for the traditional full serving for 2.
Estimated Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
How to Make a Full English Breakfast
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1684Calories from Fat 1051
% Daily Value*
Fat 116.8g180%
Saturated Fat 39.4g246%
Cholesterol 466mg155%
Sodium 4412mg192%
Potassium 1305mg37%
Carbohydrates 73.4g24%
Fiber 17.5g73%
Sugar 16.6g18%
Protein 84.8g170%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
FAQs
What is a breakdown of the full English breakfast? ›
Sometimes also called a 'fry-up', the full English breakfast consists of fried eggs, sausages, back bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread and often a slice of white or black pudding (similar to bloodwurst). It is accompanied by tea or coffee and hot, buttered toast.
What is the difference between a full English breakfast and a full Irish breakfast? ›The primary differentiator: one will always find black and white pudding in a full Irish breakfast, while it is merely an optional accessory in a full English. Brown bread or Irish potato pancakes, known as boxty, may also stand in for the toast.
What type of breakfast offers black pudding mushroom and tomato or baked beans? ›So, what's in a traditional English breakfast? Bacon, eggs, (British) sausage, baked beans, black pudding, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, and toast (or fried bread) are the components of a classic English breakfast.
Is English breakfast junk food? ›A full English breakfast is usually not that healthy. More often than not, the ingredients are fried in unhealthy oils, and portion sizes are enormous, loading your body with more fuel than it actually needs.
What are the 9 items in a full English breakfast? ›Beans, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, bacon, eggs, black pudding—of all the components that make up a classic full English breakfast, nearly nine out of 10 people in England agree that bacon is the most important.
What is part of a full Irish breakfast that is not part of a full English 1? ›What distinguishes this from a full British breakfast is the inclusion of black or white pudding, which is also known as drisheen. The bread served will also often be Irish soda bread to differentiate it from a full British breakfast.
Are hash browns in a full English breakfast? ›Hash browns seem to have become a regular feature in the full English breakfast. But they are indeed an American invasive item. They are the grey squirrel of the breakfast world.
What is an English vs Irish vs Scottish full breakfast? ›Full English breakfast: Black pudding (sausage), baked beans, bubble and squeak (potatoes and cabbage), and fried bread. Full Scottish: Potato scones (tattie scones), haggis, and oatcakes. Full Irish: Soda bread.
Is Irish breakfast stronger than English? ›Irish breakfast tea also has a strong Assam component, giving it a robust, malty flavor and reddish color. It is stronger than English breakfast tea, but not quite as strong as the Scottish variety. Because of the important role of the dairy industry in Ireland, it is usually served with milk.
What is in a full Irish breakfast? ›Full Irish Breakfast
There's typically eggs, sausage, hash browns, beans, and roasted tomatoes. You may also find slices of Irish soda bread. No matter what's served, you know it's going to be hearty!
What is in a full Scottish breakfast? ›
Ingredients vary from place to place, but the basic ingredients to a traditional breakfast include square lorne sausage, link sausages, fried egg, streaky bacon, baked beans, black pudding and/or haggis, tattie scones, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, and toast. And, don't forget a cup of Scottish tea to wash it all down.
Why do people in England eat baked beans for breakfast? ›Beans are believed to have become a breakfast standard after Heinz' 1960s ad campaign, Beanz Meanz Heinz, which launched after research showed 1.75m British housewives bought Heinz baked beans every day.
Is a full English breakfast good for diabetics? ›A Full English Breakfast is a great choice for a protein-packed breakfast that can help you achieve great blood glucose levels.
Did Britain say no to hash browns? ›For the English Breakfast Society, the answer is clear. The campaign group, which is dedicated to the history, heritage, and culture of the English breakfast, has now called for hash browns to be blacklisted from the traditional breakfast, and to be replaced by the more traditional bubble and squeak.
Is English breakfast stronger than coffee? ›As a blend of black teas, English breakfast tea has less caffeine than coffee. Coffee has about twice the caffeine of a cup of an English breakfast tea blend.
What 8 foods are in a full English breakfast? ›The Full English Breakfast (AKA The Fry Up)
The 'common' full English breakfast is a substantial meal consisting of back bacon, eggs, British sausage, baked beans, bubble and squeak, fried tomato, fried mushrooms, black pudding, with fried and toasted bread on the side.
The survey identifies the core ingredients in a decent Full English, with six food items identified by more than half of people as being essential to their ideal breakfast. As well as bacon, these include sausage (82%), toast (73%), beans (71%), fried egg (65%) and hash brown (60%).
What is the difference between American breakfast and English breakfast? ›The full English was made up of bacon and sausage paired with eggs, mushrooms, beans, and tomatoes, against the American plate with pancakes, bacon, and butter.
What is a full English breakfast called in Scotland? ›While it is colloquially known as a "fry-up" in most areas of the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is usually referred to as a "full English" (often "full English breakfast"), a "full Irish", "full Scottish", "full Welsh", and "Ulster fry", in England, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, ...
What is blood sausage called in Ireland? ›Black pudding is a distinct regional type of blood sausage originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is made from pork or beef blood, with pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oat groats, or barley groats.
What are hashbrowns called in England? ›
Rumbledethumps is a traditional Scottish dish.
What is typical American breakfast? ›In the United States, breakfast often consists of either a cereal or an egg-based dish. However, pancakes, waffles, toast, and variants of the full breakfast and continental breakfast are also prevalent.
Does Mcdonalds only sell hash browns in the morning? ›Most of the breakfast menu items aren't available after 10:30 a.m. When McDonald's breakfast hours end, you won't be able to get exclusive breakfast menu items like McMuffins (regularly $4.29), hash browns (regularly $2.09), or hotcakes (regularly $4.29).
What's the difference between a Welsh and English breakfast? ›Yum….. The Full English Breakfast fell out of fashion during the Second World War, due to the scarcity of bacon and eggs. Welsh variants on the Full English include ingredients such as laverbread, cockles and leek and cheese sausages. A typical Full English breakfast has around 1,200 calories!
What is the most common Irish breakfast? ›Bread and Toast
The number one spot goes to bread and toast as being the premier breakfast meal for the Irish nation. This category spans all types of bread and toasts popular in Ireland ranging from your classic sliced pan and brown bread to bagels and pastries.
For those of you in the audience who aren't familiar, an Irish Breakfast includes fried eggs, bacon (much like Canadian bacon, and less like American bacon), sausage, pudding (black and red), and a fried tomato, with fruit, cheese, yogurt, and bread on the side.
Do the Irish drink more tea than the English? ›The Irish drink nearly five pounds of tea every year; whether they add a shot of Irish whiskey to their tea is their business! The UK comes in third, with Brits quaffing just over four pounds of tea a year.
Do Irish people eat potatoes for breakfast? ›These are a favourite of Northern Ireland and a staple of the world renowned Ulster Fry / Irish Breakfast. Depending on where you eat them, they might be referred to as potato farls, potato bread or even potato fadge.
Do Irish drink tea or coffee? ›On the whole, Ireland is more of a nation of tea-drinkers than coffee. In fact, to be served anything other than instant coffee (widely available at hotels and restaurants upon request) travelers will have to seek it out.
What is bacon called in Ireland? ›A rasher is Ireland's way of referring to a slice of bacon. Unlike the even strips of bacon found in the U.S., Irish bacon is usually round and could be thought of as a fattier version of Canadian bacon. It's often made from the back meat of a pig - in contrast to U.S. bacon made from the pork belly.
What is a typical Irish lunch? ›
Lunch often consists of a bowl of hot soup alongside freshly baked soda bread, but a heartier lunch menu can be found at the local pubs, where typical Irish plates are served around the clock.
Do the Irish eat beans for breakfast? ›A traditional full Irish breakfast comprises bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, beans, soda bread or toast, tomatoes, mushrooms, and white or black pudding.
What is a Viking breakfast? ›Dagmal was the morning meal in which the adults would eat leftover stew from the night before with bread and fruit. The children would usually have porridge and dried fruit or, on occasion, buttermilk and bread.
What's a typical German breakfast? ›A German breakfast consists of hearty Brot (breads) and Brötchen (rolls), decorated with butter, sweet jams and local honey, thinly sliced meats, cheese and even some Leberwurst.
What do they call dinner in Scotland? ›They found that 74 per cent of Scots surveyed call their evening meal dinner. Only 19 per cent think it should be called tea while six per cent said it should be called supper. The findings set Scots apart from our neighbours in the north of England where the evening meal is often referred to as tea.
Which country eats most baked beans? ›Despite their American origin, baked beans are not as popular there. In fact, nowhere likes them as much as the UK – British people eat more baked beans than the rest of the world put together. Baked beans get their name because the raw haricot beans are baked in tomato sauce while inside the can.
What do British people call beans and toast? ›Baked beans on toast is often served for breakfast as a part of a fry up (the British term for a Cooked English Breakfast). For lunch, they are more commonly served with a jacket potato (the British term for a baked potato).
What brand of beans do Brits eat for breakfast? ›What Kind of Beans do the British eat on Toast? There's really only one kind: Heinz Beans (sometimes spelled Heinz Beanz)!
Is Cheerios OK for diabetics? ›Cereal not a good choice
Even a bowl of whole steel oats containing approximately 30 grams of carbohydrates will spike blood sugar, albeit less so than a bowl of highly processed Cheerios.
Cheese. Low-fat types like cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, or mozzarella are high-protein choices that help keep your blood sugar in check. Enjoy a quarter-cup of cottage cheese with a half-cup of fruit, a piece of low-fat string cheese, or ricotta spread on whole-grain crackers.
Why did McDonald's get rid of hash browns? ›
The absense of hash browns is the result of a lack of necessary machinery needed to cook both hash browns and french fries at the same time. The hash brown patty is cooked using the same fryers used to make the french fries.
What is an American hash brown called? ›In some parts of the United States, hash browns strictly refer to shredded or riced pan-fried potatoes, while diced and pan-fried potatoes are called country fried potatoes or home fries and are served as a side dish at other meals. Some recipes add diced or chopped onions.
Does England have potato chips? ›In the UK, the thin round slices of fried potato that come in packets are called crisps, while in the US these are called chips.
Do Brits drink tea or coffee in the morning? ›Though coffee drinking is certainly on the rise, tea is still the most popular hot drink within the UK. Appealing to everybody, from the young to the old, a good cup of tea has a sweet taste with calming properties.
Why do the British drink more tea than coffee? ›Because the East India Company had a monopoly over the tea industry in Britain, tea became more popular than coffee, chocolate, and alcohol. Tea was seen as inherently British, and its consumption was encouraged by the British government because of the revenue gained from taxing tea.
Is Earl GREY tea good for you? ›Earl Grey tea contains antioxidants that support heart health and prevent serious cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and high blood pressure. These antioxidants work to remove plaque buildup in blood vessels and the heart. They also work to prevent oxidative stress that causes cell damage.
What is the difference between a full English and a full Scottish breakfast? ›Full English breakfast: Black pudding (sausage), baked beans, bubble and squeak (potatoes and cabbage), and fried bread. Full Scottish: Potato scones (tattie scones), haggis, and oatcakes.
How long does a full English breakfast take to digest? ›After you eat, it takes about six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine. Food then enters your large intestine (colon) for further digestion, absorption of water and, finally, elimination of undigested food. It takes about 36 hours for food to move through the entire colon.
What is the difference between an English breakfast and a Welsh breakfast? ›Yum….. The Full English Breakfast fell out of fashion during the Second World War, due to the scarcity of bacon and eggs. Welsh variants on the Full English include ingredients such as laverbread, cockles and leek and cheese sausages. A typical Full English breakfast has around 1,200 calories!
Is black tea the same as English breakfast? ›English Breakfast is a traditional blend of black tea the exact recipe for which varies from maker to maker. However, most often the tea leaves are sourced from different estates in East Africa, Ceylon and Assam and then combined to produce a characteristically full bodied brew.
Are Irish and English the same? ›
Historians teach that they are mostly descended from different peoples: the Irish from the Celts, and the English from the Anglo-Saxons who invaded from northern Europe and drove the Celts to the country's western and northern fringes.
Can you eat a full English breakfast everyday? ›As far as we can say, having a full English breakfast is a great & healthy way to start your day every morning on a nutritious note. So, if you are someone looking to improve your diet with a protein-rich meal, having an English breakfast might be just the thing you need!
What do Russians eat for breakfast? ›Traditional Russian breakfast features their famous big & thin pancakes (Blini), cottage cheese pancakes (Syrniki), buckwheat porridge (Kasha), and more goodness!
Is bacon an English breakfast? ›The full English breakfast often consists of bacon, fried egg, sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, toast, and grilled tomatoes, and is accompanied by tea or coffee.
Do hash browns belong on an English breakfast? ›Hash browns seem to have become a regular feature in the full English breakfast. But they are indeed an American invasive item. They are the grey squirrel of the breakfast world.
What is a Scottish breakfast? ›What's in a Scottish Breakfast? Ingredients vary from place to place, but the basic ingredients to a traditional breakfast include square lorne sausage, link sausages, fried egg, streaky bacon, baked beans, black pudding and/or haggis, tattie scones, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, and toast.