The Joy of a Full English Breakfast
The Full English.
I suppose you could say I am writing this Hub in retaliation because a certain Canadian Hubber, who shall remain nameless to protect her guilt, wrote an annoying article saying how wonderful Pizzas were in her neck of the woods.
Why annoying ? Well for starters I enjoy good Pizza and to be told the best one in the world is half a world away from where I live is....Well Annoying ! So to get my own back I thought I’d tell her and you all about the joy of a full English breakfast in all its calorific glory in the hope that she can feel her arteries harden as she reads the mouth watering facts.
Per Serving you will need:
2 Sausages.
2 Rashers of Back Bacon.
2 Flat Mushrooms.
2 Ripe Tomatoes.
2 Thick slices of Black Pudding.
2 Large Free Range Eggs.
1 Slice of Bread.
Now, I am fully aware of the reputation such wonderful British cuisine has around the world but I’m here to tell you that we in the UK put that down to jealousy and a sad lack of appreciation for the finer things in life.
Of course there is also the bad press ‘The Full English’ gets from the politically correct mob or those TV dieticians who think a decent breakfast consists of a bowl full of the sweepings from the bottom of a parrot cage and a cup of green tea. These people attack our ancient traditions with shouts of, ‘A Heart Attack on a plate,’ or call it a ‘British Fry Up.’
I can only presume this mindless attitude makes them feel better and morally superior and I guess if I tried to live on what the birds don’t want and hot weasel piss I’d get a bit cranky as well.
However, those who know me well and my reputation as something of a ‘Foodie’ will cry “Foul” on my behalf knowing full well that I would never lead you that far off the path of good taste.
Of course all of the above ingredients can be fried and it has to be said often are in the ‘Grease Spoon Cafe’s.’ But also it should be said that such places will probably use the cheapest of ingredients so frying is probably the best thing to do with them. It is doubtful that such food will have any real taste and it is this that gives the English Breakfast its poor ‘Fry Up’ reputation.
In this month’s Hub Contest this week’s topic is Shopping & Services and I shall enter with a review of a step back in time to the days of Farmer’s markets and the farm fresh produce they provided. Plus I am happy to report they are making something of a comeback. From there I buy my ingredients and with a grill rather than a frying pan I will cook the perfect English style breakfast. With two small exceptions, I will need the pan to fry the bread and the eggs, although it is possible to substitute these with scrambled or poached eggs and toasted bread if you like but that would be a full breakfast with a small ‘e’....
Always start cooking with the sausages, these take the longest to cook and shouldn’t be rushed. Here again, the reputation for poor quality of British sausages puts a lot of people off eating them. True, there was and still is a lot of cheap sausages on the shelves of supermarkets, but like most things in life you gets what you pay for and I’m afraid to say Cheap and Quality are not words you will find very often in the same sentence when talking about food and cooking ingredients.
Many local farmers and butchers have got together to bring back quality to British foods and with a little imagination have reinvented the British sausage by using more and better quality meat, less dry filler as bulk and cutting out the artificial additives. While you’re there at the butcher’s market stalls you will also find high quality Back Bacon, (not streaky) and this can be smoked for added flavour if you desire or just plain. Most of these butchers will also have the Black Pudding you will need as well.
Let’s get serious; Grill on medium heat, start cooking the sausages, they will take 15 – 20 minutes to cook, depending on size and thickness, turn frequently. I turn the grill up to full after about 10 minutes.
Then add the rashers of bacon, (I snip the fatty edge with a pair of scissors this stops it curling as it’s cooking). Allow 2 – 3 minutes per side depending on how well cooked you like it.
Mushrooms, I like the big flat fully open field mushrooms, remove the stalk, season with salt pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. I cook them top side down on the grill for a couple of minutes before turning them. Don’t forget to season and oil the top and grill for another 2 minutes.
Tomatoes next, cut in half season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil place cut side down grill for 2 minutes and turn for another 2 minutes but firm enough to retain their shape.
Now add the Black pudding slices, remove the outer skin and grill for 2 minutes each side.
Finally, and here you will need your trusty frying pan cut the bread slices into four quarters or triangles, if you are being posh, make sure the fat in the pan is hot but not too hot or smoking. Too cold and the bread will absorb the fat too hot and it will scorch. Remove the fried slices to a couple of sheets of kitchen paper to drain.
Then crack the eggs into the pan and cook them sunny-side up.
If like me your grill pan is not that big or you’re cooking for more than 1 or 2 of you I have the oven on to warm the plates anyway so it is possible to prevent over cooking, to remove the food, like the sausages and bacon as it is cooked to a serving plate in the oven.
All the main ingredients came from that one farmers market, including the mushrooms, tomatoes and farm fresh free range eggs bought on Saturday for a special Sunday Morning Brunch style treat for a few friends.
The sliced bread was from a supermarket, and a couple of days old. This was deliberate because that way it makes better fried bread and is ideal for the hot buttered toast and homemade marmalade that finishes off the perfect breakfast with a pot of freshly brewed tea. (Indian).
If you are still not convinced all I can add is this. It seems to be true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and one a lot of us skip. This means we run out of energy mid morning and head for the donut stand.... Chances are we will eat fast food junk for lunch and head home for a large meal before settling down to relax. Before bedtime.
There is an old saying that for true diet benefit we should
Breakfast like a King,
Lunch like a Lord and
Dine like a peasant !
I know from experience when I was working flat out and ignoring routine meals, a full English will keep you going for the day. Something I seriously doubt a bowl of Muesli or a slice of toast will do.
Like everything in life I suggest moderation, I love a full English, I also enjoy a good Hamburger or Pizza but I don’t advocate you live on such things. I can console myself with a small part of the breakfast ingredients, in a Bacon and Egg or Sausage and Egg sandwich, or perhaps scrambled eggs with a rasher or two on the side.
Just as long as the ingredients are fresh and wholesome.
Comments
When can I come for breakfast Merlin ?
Hi SilverGenes,
Thank you for your kind comments and I agree Black Pudding does require a degree of bravery first time, a bit like Haggis, of course neither are as bad as they look and as with many things it does go well when taken with other foods like the bacon.
As for the homemade Marmalades... there are so many to choose from I have had one with whisky in it. Another was a mixture of orange and tangerine and I was very recently given a present of one made with orange and lemon. I have added a picture of the jar, it even looks better than shop bought and that's before I've even opened it.
Loveslove,
Tempting.... You live up North don't you where the very best Black Pudding comes from ?
Bring one with you and you gotta deal, trouble is I'm fully booked till at least Mid December. Can you wait that long for a decent breakfast ?
Yes Merlin you are right I do live up North..BUT I do not like Black Pudding...I may live here but im a southerner by birth. and yes I could wait that long for a decent breakfast if it was as good as the one in your picture..
Merlin, before I invite myself for what sounds like a scrumptious breakfast, I have to ask what exactly is black pudding? One never knows with the English - they have a penchant for giving their foodstuff some very odd names! :D
Hi FP,
Please come and welcome, the Black Pudding is an essential part of a Full English but the eating thereof is not mandatory. Since you ask and I’m sure there are many who will have the same question I give you the following explanation.
Simply, Black pudding is boiled pig's blood in a length of intestine. Here in Britain our puddings are usually filled with a mixture of cereal, usually oatmeal or barley, suet or cubes of pork fat added.
Most European countries, who eat sausages, in one form or another have their own variations, for instance :
France has Boudin noir - pigs blood, pork fat, breadcrumbs, brandy or calvados and cream.
Germany has Blutwurst pigs blood, diced bacon and lungs.
Spain has Morcilla - pigs blood, pork fat, paprika, cooked long grain rice,and raisins.
Ireland has Drisheen -as the UK except they use lamb's blood.
Many of the European puddings are lighter because they are often made with cream instead of cereals.
Here in the UK The puddings we buy are already cooked, it just requires reheating.. I prefer to slice it thick (at least 2cm), then cook as gently as possible under the grill.
Lancashire, in the North of England is Black Pudding heaven where you will find most butchers have their own recipe. Look for visible nuggets of fat, which is usually a sign of high quality.
Of course you can take Black Pudding beyond breakfast because it can be used in many other ways, it works wonderfully well with both lamb and pork dishes and can be added to a casserole or stew to enhance the flavour.
So there you have it all this wonderful information and a free education as well...
I have my own discription of Black Pudding ....YUKKY !!
Just bring one with you I won't make you eat it ...promise. although we could sent it to FP... What do you think ?
First my compliments on a wonderfully "filling" article! Sounds fun - all but the black pudding. My reply to that is: "Thanks, but no thanks". I can't bring myself to sample haggis, either, though Mother used to make something she called "son-on-a-gun stew" which may have been similar, made with goat meat and other goat - ugh - (entrails?) I didn't go for it, either. Call me a sissy. I don't mind.
The homemade lemon-orange marmelade sounds totally divine~ as well as any of the other homemade variations you mention in a comment above! I love marmelades and lemon curd is nice, too. And I INSIST on farm-fresh-free-range (vegetarian hen) eggs, so we're in sync there! Tomatoes & mushrooms are yummy with a breakfast like this. I don't eat sausage or bacon normally but that bacon looks too tempting. I'll save my sausage portion for you.
Anyway - what a fun hub! You've outdone yourself once again!! (not till mid-December, huh? Oh, well - I'd have to renew my passport and after 12 years since I got and used it, might have to start over. hehe)
Hi Nellieanna,
I have to admit that Black Pudding is an aquired taste, but it smells good when cooking. It's like that bacon... when the smells fills the kitchen it is almost impossible to resist. However, when you come I promise you only have to eat things you enjoy !
If you are renewing your passport then I would put off your visit until Spring time. As a Texas Gal I think you'd hate here in December you might think the whole country was air conditioned !
I could do a quick Hub on Lemon curd aswell, over here it is sometimes called Lemon cheese and there are one or two little differences.
I have even got a microwave recipe for lemon curd.
You can not beat a good full on english breakfast the only thing I do not like mushrooms so I rather have another slice of black pudding instead and toast with butter and home made jam mmmmmm followed by a mug of tea.
Hi Stargazer,
What's the Full Scottish Breakfast any variations from above, Isn't there a Square sausage and howabout Rowies instead of toast ?
Yes there is sq sausage and the fried bread dip in egg and not forgetting the rowie mmmmmmm
Hi merlin just remember the name of the sausage it is lorne sausage
An English breakfast is slightly similar to a Colombian breakfast!
Thanks for the culinary lesson Merlin, but I think I will desist...the rest of the breakfast will do just fine! :D
Hi Harajukuglam,
I guess you won't be adding my breakfast to your Low Calorie Breakfast List any time soon !
That's OK FP, as I told Nellieanna it's not compulsory, it will make room for the baked beans.
Wow, do you have time to eat all that food at breakfast? Cereal and a strong espresso is about all I can manage if I have the time! Some of it looks yummy and I'd love to join you some time for brekky but I'll leave you all the black pud - yuk! Your hubbuddy Marie.
Hi Marie,
I think having a full English is a bit like a real Sunday lunch, something of an occassion and something to be savoured when time is not an issue.
In all my life I could never just get up and eat anything like that, but after a few hours heavy work it is was never a problem but even then I limited myself to just one a week.
I have a friend now retired who has a passion for cooking this meal and I'm one of the honoured few who gets an invite to his Saturday Brunch specials, afterwards it is somewhat dificult to move till at least Monday
Thank you for spairing me that
Merlin - the quantity and gourmet character of this breakfast is a bit like some I've had in the French Quarter in New Orleans, both at the Court of Two Sisters and Brennans - the famous "Breakfast at Brennans".
Brennana is quite posh with lovely service & wonderful food. Their breakfkast beverages include champagne mimosas and sazaracs. whoo-hoo!
The Court of Two Sisters has enormous buffet tables laden with any food thing one could think of for which New Orleans is famous, plus one is urged to drink plenty with it. It's eaten out in the patio.
These are breakfasts to last, as you mention the Full English Breakfast is!
I'm so glad that I noticed this hub. Hope you win some extra money for this one! Enjoyed the humor..."dieticians who think a decent breakfast consists of a bowl full of the sweepings from the bottom of a parrot cage and a cup of green tea"...and the education regarding black pudding of which I was unfamiliar. I'm adventurous and would at least try it! Voting this up!
Hi Nellieanna,
Sounds like my kind of place, last time I was in New Orleans I got caught up in a Shriners Convention and had an absolute ball. Can remember doing too much eating though...
In truth can't remember much of anything other than it took two days for the headache to subside.
Bless you Peggy,
Black Pudding doesn't deserve the bad press it gets, no idea where it comes from.(France probably, they don't like us very much or our food). However most of the European sausages are of similar ingredients and construction.
It is spicy and you can feel your arteries harden as you watch it cooking but what the hell... I don't advocate we live on it just enjoy it once in a while.
I sure did enjoy this - loved the photos - also enjoyed learning about how to prepare these foods. I really like your writing style - you have a unique style and one which keeps a person wanting to read more and more. This is a gift and a wonderful talent to be able to keep a readers interest and to especially have them wanting to read more. Nice work!
Hi Kims,
Glad you enjoyed this Hub, not the healthiest meal on the menu but sinfully woderful as a special once in a while treat.
Grilling rather than frying removes some of calories and high fat content but if you have never had the pleasure of a full English.... the first smell will make a believer of you.
I hope you will wander through some of my other Hubs and check out some of the others.
I recently had the pleasure of a full english...it was wonderful,cooked by a special friend and eaten at leisure late on a saturday morning ...yummy !!
What is they say a minute on the Lips....
Why do all the things they say are bad for us taste so good !!
Well,actually I am allowed a fry up on my diet..but it takes all my points for the day !!!
Luck you ... My Fry Ups take all the points for the Week....
Can I try one sometime then !! ? lol
You've made a believer out of me,Sir! :-;
Hi Wesman,
A Full English, or Scottish Breakfast should be on everyone's Bucket List. At least once, of course if you have the privilage of living here the temptation is to make that once a week !
Get Thee Behind Me Satan... And Push !!!
So can I take your Booking, I have a space next to Loveslove.
Mmm!! A breakfast companion....long time since I had one of those Merlin X
A Young one too...Be still your beating heart...
I'll be too busy cooking to chaperone !
Oh well that changes things then,dont do young....need my own age..the experience is everything !!
Since I don't eat meat, I'll never be able to consume a full (or even nearly full) English breakfast, or a "fry-up" as I've seen it called in the numerous British mystery books I love to read.
Of course, there are many soy products that mimic the taste of meat, including soy sausage, soy bacon, with no harm to the pig and no need to think of what happened to it. (As a bit of background, when I was a child, I visited my grandparents on their farm during pig-slaughtering season. I will never, ever as long as I live forget the horrible sound of pigs squealing!)
However, I note that one of your photos shows baked beans (even though the caption declares you don't usually save room for them). Also in my British mystery reading, I've run across many descriptions of people eating "beans on toast."
Well, veggie person that I am, that seemed good to me, so I decided to try it. No recipe, but who needs a recipe with a good imagination? I saute chopped onion in a bit of olive oil, then add a can of drained vegetarian baked beans, add pepper and garlic powder, and heat till the beans are fully hot. Two pieces of whole wheat bread toasted brown go on the plate, each to be covered with a spoonful of the bean mixture. Add some sliced tomato on the side, and ready for the table. Now, that, Merlin, seems like the perfect British (or American) breakfast to me!
JAYE
Hi Jaye,
Things on toast is a very British snack, they are quick and easy to prepare either as a simple lunch, mid afternoon or evening snack.
Here in the UK the most popular brand of baked beans are made by Heinz, made from haricot beans, also known as navy beans cooked in a tomato sauce. I know in Boston beans are cooked in a sauce of pork and molasses but the UK variety contains no meat. There are exceptions one variety comes with pork sausages in the tin.
Other popular things on toast, scramble eggs,(with or without baked bean) tinned sardines, tuna, pilchards or herrings.
Also popular is Cheese on Toast made under a grill, there are many variants, with slices of tomato, with mixed chutney or pickle, anything that would ever be found on top of a pizza....
Although I like your recipe above and will certainly give it a try.
So if you are into British Mysteries have you found the Inner Space trilogy yet ?
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SilverGenes 21 months ago
Excellent article and gorgeous photos to make us all hungry as well. I agree this would stay with a person all day long though - that's a lot of food! I've never had black pudding or anything like it and I must admit it looks a bit scary to me. Homemade marmalade sounds heavenly! Nicely done!