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.
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 Branston 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!
-Steph
How to Make a Full English Breakfast
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.
- 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!
The recipe given is spot-on. There are regional variations (add last nights boiled potato and it becomes a ‘Norfolk breakfast’ etc). Personally, I think the beans are a recent introduction. Fried bread was used to soak-up the flavours left in the pan from the sausage and bacon, but toast is more common now.
In the British military this is served every morning (conditions allowing) and it’s perfect (no matter what people say about military cooks!) but since leaving the military I can’t eat it every day.
Hash browns are a very recent introduction (80’s) but they’re OK. I recall they were introduced by a road-side cafe chain named ‘Little-Chef’ which may have had American roots or certainly an American diner influence.
The recipe as presented is authentic and good.
I have had the real deal at the Kensington Hilton and the bacon is to die for!!!! Any suggestions on where to order it from in the US? I did not do the black pudding. Bangers are OK. Loved the fish & chips w mushy peas!
Your full english is spot on all the items are what would be in a standard full english ..with the addition of fried bread .this is a slice of white bread fried in the pan .in the oil from the sausages and bacon..i prefer to cook it in the egg pan before i cook the eggs in a little veg oil..that way its not so heavy…also i add toast and butter and jam and or marmalde.for after if you have amy room..and fresh orange juice..this is the standard full english breakfast .it was made standard by the edwardians in early 1900s and was served in all hotels and guest house .and trains so the gentry could enjoy it where ever they went..most regions in the uk have there own variations but they are not the true full english breakfasts…your full english is a true full english.with the addition of fried bread and toast and jam and marmalde .orange juice and of course english tea or coffee amd ness paper….so well done and enjoy
We love “fried bread” in the U.S., too, but for whatever reason, it’s called Texas toast! (Even in Nebraska…)
Hi I think personally you have to try all the breakfast ingredients for yourself and decide if you want it on the plate the next time you make it like for myself I don’t do tomato’s or fried bread or bubble and squeak I stick with the rest of the ingredients though I do love black pudding/blood sausage but again it’s up to you as it’s you who is eating it when it’s made it’s the same for haggis not everyone likes this food but personally I do so mix it up and try it out for yourself oh and before I forget the only potato I have is the triangle hash browns yummy
Here’s a great way to do beans.
In a non stick pan, add a four of five rashers of streaky bacon, chopped small, fry with a little black and a little white pepper on a medium heat.
Once the bacon has caramelised and crisped up to how you like, turn down the heat a little further, add the tin of baked beans (careful, it’ll spit up a little so keep a little distance) and stir, keep stirring until the sauce thickens up a bit, then serve.
Best beans ever.
I have one once a week, but one thing I would suggest trying is seeded bread or wholemeal slightly toasted if fresh then frying it , and here’s a tip when you go to the supermarket and you see “ cooking bacon” and hey it’s really cheap , look for the packs that look like slices and not bits and pieces , and you will get some lovely thick and I mean thick bacon slices in there, and fry them slowly , absolute heaven and no need to spend 3 times as much, my last packet 90p lasted for 2 breakfasts, a banjo ( egg and bacon ) for those not familiar with the phrase, and enough to make a bacon roll poly , yes all for a packet of vacuum packed cooking bacon
The mug in the photo is beautiful and I would love to own it, is there any chance you could point me and my money in the right direction, please?
thank you so much! i actually made it at one of those make a mug pottery places :) i love his little eyes lol
I was sent to live in England in 1972. A full English breakfast always reminds me of my early years. Lots of nice memories. Only thing is, I won’t touch a full English breakfast unless there’s a bottle of HP sauce next to it.