Growing up in a British household, a full English breakfast was part of our weekly Sunday morning routine. It has to be one of my favourite things to eat for breakfast and it truly fuels you for the day. In this post, I'm going to share my go-to recipe for a classic homemade fry-up, the key components that make up a full English breakfast, and how to cook everything to perfection. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Alongside the family Sunday morning full English breakfasts, I also worked as a breakfast chef at one of the best Hotels in Bath (England), so I'm happy to say I know a thing or two about the full English breakfast.
There are debates on what consists of a full English breakfast, but this is what you'll find in what I believe to be the ultimate full English breakfast: eggs, sausages, bacon, tomato, baked beans, mushrooms, black pudding, toast, and hash browns.
If you're a breakfast lover, then you've got to check out my Indian-inspired breakfast paratha, high protein breakfast burrito, cheesy crespelle (an Italian pancake dish) or one of my personal favorites; sardines and eggs!
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What is a Full English Breakfast?
A Full English Breakfast is so much more than just the sum of its parts. It's an iconic breakfast in the UK and Ireland that is enjoyed by millions of people.
For those of you who are new to a Full English Breakfast, it's also called a "fry up" or a full English for short. Yes, we have it for breakfast, but it's such a beast that it's often offered throughout the day as an all-day breakfast.
It's made a LOT in British households from scratch because once you've got the components, it's easy to rustle up, but you can find many people going doing to their local "greasy spoon" for a full English if they can't be bothered to cook one themselves.
There has been much debate on what deserves a spot on the Full English Breakfast plate. But here's my family's recipe: eggs (fried, scrambled, poached or soft boiled), sausages (Cumberland are best), bacon (thick-cut or streaky), tomato (large), baked beans (Heinz), mushrooms (chestnut mushrooms), black pudding (Stornaway is best), toast (also can have fried bread), and hash browns (storebought is fine!).
What is in a Full English Breakfast?
Eggs: fried eggs, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, or sifted poiled eggs are all good options for a full English.
Sausages: I personally love Cumberland sausages, but you can go for any pork sausage you fancy really.
Bacon: you can either go for thick-cut back bacon or streaky bacon rashers.
Tomato: large tomatoes are most common, always sliced in half and cooked until soft. You can alternatively fry up baby tomatoes until cooked.
Baked beans: canned baked beans are an essential part of a full English breakfast if you ask me. Heinz baked beans are my favorite, but you could also go for the supermarket own brand.
Mushrooms: We're using chestnut mushrooms and slicing them into quarters instead of slicing them, this is so they maintain their bite and structure. You could alternatively use white mushrooms.
Black pudding: an essential item on a full English breakfast plate, but I won't judge you if you skip it. It's basically a blend of oatmeal, beef suet, vegetable fat, pork blood or beef blood, and an array of spices. We used to use Stornoway black pudding at the hotel and it was absolutely delicious. But feel free to use any you can find.
Toast: traditionally, greasy spoons would serve fried bread. But it's more common nowadays to just have toast and lather it with butter.
Hash browns: this is a more recent addition to the full English breakfast too. They tend to be bought frozen (but feel free to make my crispy homemade hashbrowns if you'd like) and then fried in the pan or grilled in the oven. Alternatively, you could do some fried potatoes.
Vegetarian/Vegan Full English Options
For those of you looking for a veggie option, simply remove the meats and/or eggs from the classic full English and sub them out for any of following ingredients:
- Tofu scramble
- Fried spinach
- Sliced avocado
- Fried chickpeas
- Veggie sausage
How To Cook a Full English Breakfast with Photos
Step 1: Get yourself a large frying pan (or skillet) and place on medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil and add in the butter. Once melted, add in the chopped mushrooms and tomato halves. Season with salt and pepper. Stir fry for 5 minutes (don't flip the tomatoes yet).
Step 2: Meanwhile, grab yourself another large frying pan (or skillet) and place on medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil or vegetable oil and add in your sausages. Place on the lid to avoid spitting. Fry on each side for 1 minute. Then once browned, add in the bacon and fry both the bacon and the sausages for a further 5 minutes, flipping until cooked through.
Step 3: Give your mushrooms a stir and flip your tomatoes. Next up, add in the black pudding and hash browns. Fry on each side for 4 minutes. Note: flip the tomatoes again after 5 minutes, and stir the mushrooms occasionally to prevent them from catching.
Step 4: Now's a great time to microwave your baked beans. Place them in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes until piping hot. Meanwhile, create some space in either the sausage pan or tomato pan for 4 eggs. Add in a drizzle more oil and crack 2 eggs into a pan per person and turn the heat to low. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny.
Step 6: Place the toast in the toaster, and once golden, butter it and plate it up along with two sausages, two pieces of bacon, one tomato half, two hash browns, two eggs, a scoop of mushrooms, one black pudding, and a big spoonful of baked beans per person. Season with salt and pepper, and then serve up with brown sauce or ketchup and enjoy!
FAQs
Yes, to a certain extent! You can cook a large part of it in the oven: tomatoes, hash browns, mushrooms, sausages, bacon, and black pudding. The eggs, cook in a frying pan, the toast, cook in the toaster, and baked beans in the microwave. Preheat the oven to 200c/400F and place the tomatoes and sausages on an oven tray and into the oven for 10 minutes (seasoned with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil). Then add in the hashbrowns, mushrooms (wrapped in tinned foil with butter, salt and pepper), bacon, and black pudding. Roast for another 15 minutes, tossing and flipping the ingredients halfway.
For sure, swap out the meat for sliced avocado, fried spinach, veggie sausages, fried chickpeas or tofu steaks.
Pick out low fat meat options - chicken sausages and low fat bacon. Use minimal oil and butter when frying your ingredients.
Eggs (fried, scrambled, poached or soft boiled), sausages (Cumberland are best), bacon (thick-cut or streaky), tomato (large), baked beans (Heinz), mushrooms (chestnut mushrooms), black pudding (Stornaway is best), toast (also can have fried bread), and hash browns (storebought is fine!)
The two most popular are ketchup and brown sauce.
If you tried this Full English Breakfast recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
The Ultimate Full English Breakfast Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g mushrooms sliced into quarters
- 1 large tomato sliced in half
- 4 sausages Cumberland are my favorite
- 4 bacon rashers
- 2 slices black pudding
- 4 eggs
- 4 hashbrowns
- 200 g baked beans
- 2 slices white bread toasted
Instructions
- Get yourself a large frying pan (or skillet) and place on medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil and add in a large spoonful of butter. Once melted, add in the chopped mushrooms and tomato halves. Season with salt and pepper. Stir fry for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grab yourself another large frying pan (or skillet) and place on medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil or vegetable oil and add in your sausages. Place on the lid to avoid spitting. Fry on each side for 1 minute. Then once browned, add in the bacon and fry both the bacon and the sausages for a further 5 minutes, flipping until cooked through.
- Give your mushrooms a stir and flip your tomatoes (your tomatoes should be slightly charred and end up being soft in the middle). Next up, add in the black pudding and hash browns. Fry on each side for 4 minutes. Note: flip the tomatoes again after 5 minutes, and stir the mushrooms occasionally to prevent them from catching.
- Now's a great time to microwave your baked beans. Place them in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place them in the microwave for 3-5 minutes until piping hot. Meanwhile, create some space in either the sausage pan or tomato pan for 4 eggs. Add in a drizzle more oil and crack 2 eggs into a pan per person and turn the heat to low. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny.
- Place the white bread slices in the toaster, and once golden, butter and plate up along with two sausages, two pieces of bacon, one tomato half, two hash browns, two eggs, a scoop of mushrooms, one black pudding, and a big spoonful of baked beans per person. Season with salt and pepper, and then serve up with brown sauce or ketchup and enjoy!
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