The ultimate full English breakfast – have your SAY

As an authentic Yorkshireman, I have to tell you that you're all wrong!

Bacon - unsmoked back,(you do want to taste the meat, not the burnt wood, don't you?) black pudding & Cumberland sausage (Lincolnshire sausage is made from that counties inhabitants extra appandages, apparently). The only acceptable source is Stanforth Butchers, Skipton. These should be cooked under a Salamander grill along with halved tomatoes, meanwhile, eggs - preferably ducks, should be gently fried in a cast iron pan (that has NEVER been washed, just wiped out with a slice of slightly dry bread) with lard and a touch of butter with mushrooms added to the same pan and thin sliced white bread fried in the bottom of the grill pan in the rendered 'goodness' from the pork products.

All served with well buttered thick sliced bread and a large pot of builders tea (sourced from Taylors of Harrogate) Salt on the tomatoes, white pepper on the eggs and brown sauce on the sausages is mandatory. Anything is probably illegal. Or French.

Evening treat!

Just read the comments above at 9.00 pm and remembered that I had two cold but cooked Cumberland sausages in the fridge. That's them sorted just when they though they were safe!

Bacon - smoked streaky or green back.

Fried egg(s) runny yolk.

Sausages (Lincoln, Cumberland or pork).

Black pudding.

Toast (must be buttered - no marge).

Mushrooms.

Baked beans (but only if they've been cooked in a sauce pan - no microwaved beans).

The wildcard - kidneys.

Bacon, smoked back or middle

Lincolnshire sausage (or other with a light herb)

Baked Beans

Fried bread

Fried tomato

Fried mushrooms

Fried egg, over easy, runny yolk,

Black pudding & mustard (if north of Watford Gap)

Chips, hash browns or potato waffles (if south of Watford Gap)

Brown sauce

Toast, butter & marmalade (optional)

Massive mug of hot tea, builders or English Breakfast or Assam (white, no sugar for me).

The arrangement of the (suitably large) plate is just as important as the contents. Working our way around the plate:

Bacon (back, lightly done)

Fried egg(s)

Sausages

Baked beans

Black pudding

French toast

Tinned plum tomatoes

Hash browns

Grilled tomatoes

Fried bread

Fried haggis topped with a poached egg

Mushrooms

Toast (buttered)

Scrambled egg

And in the middle of the plate - a Yorkshire pudding.

Bacon - got to be proper smoked back bacon, ranging from crispy round the edges to thoroughly crozzled. Rinds can optionally be cut off and fried separately to a proper state of crozzledness, think miniature pork scratchings.

Sausage - something lightly flavoured, or plain but nothing too "mucked about with" as my father-in-law would put it.

Black pudding - no excuses, this is essential...

Eggs - both scrambled and fried (yolk runny), or if you want to make a token gesture for healthy eating, poached.

Baked beans

Staffordshire/Derbyshire oatcakes - I've you've never had one of these, it's high time you did, they're the Midlands' best kept secret.

Toast - freshly baked white bread, can be lightly done to cremated depending on your taste.

Mushrooms - fried in the bacon/black pudding fat to absorb more of that dead pig goodness

I'd put tomatoes and hash browns on the optional items list, and tomato/brown sauce for the sausage if you're feeling like it.

Wash down with pint mugs of well-brewed Yorkshire tea, then go out and take on the world.

Though I'm not from England or any of the surrounding parts, I've been there in the past, quite a few times on business. All these variations of the "Full Fry Up" mean there will be arguments as the "best". Personally, I didn't find a Fry Up that I didn't like. They were all great. Pity we never adopted them here in the States. So, I'm not seeing what the fuss is about as to "best".

Here in the States, there's diversity in regional breakfasts, and again, for the most part, except for certain chain restaurants, they're all pretty good if prepared by a competent chef/cook.

Yes, I'm one of those who try almost anything once as long as a) it's dead and b) not staring at me. And I'll have it twice (or more) if I like it.

We've always done the standard sausage, bacon, eggs, beans, mushrooms, hash browns, fried bread and, err... kidneys. Always had 'em.

Oh and it's called a BREADCAKE.

I suppose it means I´m getting old and smelly, but my best memories have it fried in beef dripping, with no sauce. Just pepper and salt and mustard.

Hash browns - since when were they ever 'British' - they are a bloody awful bland, tasteless American import and should be banned from any English breakfast - better still banned from being imported !.

The most offensive thing is when bloody Scottish and Irish foreigners put bullshit like "full Scottish breakfast" on the f'ing menu. They have it in hotels. Seriously WTFF?

Sick to your porridge and soda shite.

Now don't get me on vegan crap they serve to you pounces in Shoreditch.

No Gluten

I have gluten enteropathy, the real thing.

I have a gluten free muffin sliced in halves with a heavy coating of real butter. On top of that is some raspberry jam and then two soft fried eggs. I like a lot of salt since I have low blood pressure and I need to keep it up a bit. For an after meal snack half an avocado with olive oil mayo goes down very nicely.

I should mention that I am 6"2" at age 67 and I still weigh 150 lbs, same as when I was 20. I have put on 150 klics on my bicycle this month. I put on muscle very quickly since my testosterone is 803, same as when I was 20.

As for tea, I don't drink anything but water. I also use a bit of coke. (the type that ends in cola) It goes down nicely with ice cream. No coffee, can't drink beer. No wine or anything else.

Pointless

A Full English breakfast includes whatever you want.

A decent cafe will have a price to include 6 or so items with extra ones at 50p each or whatever.

And the diner chooses.

The only stipulation I would add is a large mug of builders tea.

Typical Brits, can't even do breakfast right

Where's the sausage gravy? The Chickenfried steak? The pancakes for gosh sakes?

And have you never heard of hash browns? Ketchup or brown sauce - have you never met tabasco?

No wonder you're all so limp and pallid...

Incidentally, the best degreaser with a full english is a pint of good ale... a tea or coffee is lovely, but just doesn't cut through the grease like a beer...

The best is

whatever you yourself like and suits your nutritional needs.

Old Story

this subject was done to death in 2014.

I know that this will probably start a war here with the other commentards, but I have to say something.

1 - The best full english breakfasts I have ever had are actually made by two Polish Ladies in Preston, Lancashire.

For which I provide the following two proofs, thanks to our friends at a well known review site:

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/03/8c/27/be/deli-licious.jpg

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/0a/26/b4/89/petit-dejeuner.jpg

2 - Personally it has to be plum tomatoes (not the chopped up cheap versions that are the left overs from the canning factory), they have to be sweet and juicy so that when you stab them, they make a nice mess with the runny yolks (two eggs please, Im British), for the other half they have to be raw tomatoes (I mean not even been under a heat lamp).

3 - Black pudding, Im a Northerner - Prestonian to be exact and Bury is only up'th road so we expect the best.

4 - Toast, big doorstep wedges - two of with Butter, none of that ponsey special healthy Margarine

5 - Mushroom - fried in butter (Mmmm, getting hungry)

Oh and obviously it has to be Bacon, Sausages, beans (warm to hot not so hot as to remove skin from inside of mouth)

Sauce, HP, the real stuff not 'Brown' sauce - Thats like the non-named meat.

If you have any good pictures of breakfasts, can you share some links as Im doing a birthday breakfast for the other half and want some really good suggestions (that and I love food porn)

requirements for a proper breakfast

Cumberland Sausage

Smoked back bacon

Lancastrian black pudding (the spicy type)

Toasted cheese using a decent blue cheese on brown bread

Baked beans (with paprika and black pepper added)

A couple of fried eggs (sunny side up)

Fried mashed potato (similar to what the yanks call hash browns)

English mustard (none of that poncy red or brown sauce)

Black coffee

Orange or apple juice

Core plus add-ons

The core:

- fried egg, soft yolk.

- hefty sausages, like cumberlands. Something the width of two fingers, not one.

- a mug of builders tea.

and then, according to regional taste and practice, any sensible combination of

- bread goods: fried white bread, or white toast

- marmalades: something tart with the rinds included

- mushrooms - portobello if whole, or bella. Lightly fried

- tomatoes - beefsteak, fried. some regions seem to like canned plum toms. not me, but chacun a son gout.

- thick, meaty bacon. Wars have been fought over how crispy the bacon should be. Personal choice.

- Black pudding.

and of course not forgetting

- copy of a trashy red-top tabloid to read it with

- defibrillator close to hand for when the food tries to kill you.

Don't forget ...

... the Walls Pork Sausages ... slow fried in lard and oozing fat!

The bread should be fried in the sausage/bacon fat and should serve as the "plate" for the fried tomatoes ... preferably mashed into the bread.

All of the other stuff is optional although there MUST be HP sauce.

Lester

Let me raise a pint for Lester! He loved greased food.

The official best English breakfast is served at my local caff - the Super Sausage. Winner of the Britains Best Cafe award in 2016. http://supersausagecafe.co.uk/ . No, I don't work there or have a financial interest but I do eat there regularly, as my waistline will confirm :-)

Two best quality pork sausages, 2 rashers of back bacon, hash browns, fried egg, mushrooms, beans and good black pudding. Add toast and a mug of Twinings English Breakfast tea for perfection.

As for the sauce - I prefer Rocket Fuel sauce, which comes from New Zealand (like HP but with more kick - plenty of spices) and English mustard for the sausage.

Poached

Here's my preferred set up...

Two poached eggs (yes,I know I'm risking charges of heresy) with runny yolks

Two rashers of back bacon (unsmoked)

Two Lincolnshire sausages

Baked beans

One slice of toast, buttered

One slice of fried bread

One tomato, fried

Mushrooms, fried

Tea

I'm seriously concerned about the lack of mention of fried bread, doesn't count as a full English without the fried bread (fried in lard is best, but oil is allowed I suppose). Turning to other matters - egg fried, mushrooms yes but not the awful ones that come out of a can, tomatoes fried (canned are acceptable in this case), black pudding (not white), baked beans mandatory, bacon streaky and must be smoked. Hash brown is a modern import to be avoided if you want to stay authentic. On the side there should be a plate of toast or bread and butter (sliced white of course), and a mug of tea (coffee is permitted south of Warwick / Northampton). Best consumed in a café with a stinking hangover.

After sampling many from around the country, I have pretty set standards on my breakfast preferences...

TWO (min) rashers of bacon

TWO sausages - Don't have a particular preference as to what type, but anything that resembles a paste is unacceptable. None of this one sausage garbage!!

At least one fried egg - cooked white, runny yolk... If the white is runny (read: snotty) - punishment will be violent and bloody.

2-3 hash browns

Beans (NOT IN A PONCEY POT! EVER!)

Toast. Controversially, I'm a fan of brown toast - but I will fall to popular opinion on this, and thick white is more than acceptable - so long as it's present. This has the benefit of soaking in all the deliciousness of the yolk and the bean juice!

Tinned tomatoes if they're available, though either way.

Coffee. Lots. A large pot at minimum!

Seriously - so many hotels are doing this one sausage crap these days. Where's the petition to make this illegal!?!

I did have a chorizo and sweet potato hash one morning for breakfast in Berkhamsted, which was divine... but obviously not a full English!

Three essentials

1. Plain, really plain, sausages. Herbs have no place on the breakfast plate.

2. A big flat open mushroom fried stalk side up and not turned over so that the juices remain trapped in the mushroom.

3. A fully cooked tomato, even a bit burnt is nice, but never just slightly warmed raw tomato.

If I am ever up infront of a firing squad this would be my last meal

1 fried egg soft yoke.

2 rashers of bacon with rind

2 sausages (chipolatas or normal sausages)

1 slice fried bread (dipped in oil then grilled not the deep fried death of a slice)

2 hash browns

1 half of a grilled tomato (going easy on the fruit and veg as don't want to over do it)

1 slice black pudding

2 kidneys

Mushrooms fried in butter (none of those stewed ones)

Small dollop of baked beans.

Kipper on top

Side of 2 X white toast , butter , then jam or marmalade or marmite.

1 medium glass of fruit juice to help break down the grease (orange / grapefruit / pineapple)

1 pot of coffee or team.

Veggie breakfast

Hmm, not many veggies amongst The Reg readership, it seems, so here's my nomination (although I expect to be downvoted viciously, even though it's only a suggestion):

Eggs, but however you like them: they don't have to be fried; scrambled or poached are just as good, perhaps even a Spanish omelette, although that's maybe not quite in the spirit of a fry up;

Veggie sausages, there are many types to choose from nowadays, whether meaty-style, Glamorgan, or with actual vegetables (Cauldron do yummy peppers and beanie ones);

Veggie haggis (better than the real thing, if you ask me);

Veggie bacon, if you still have those cravings (guilty as charged);

Hash browns or fried potatoes;

Baked beans, fried mushrooms, fried onions, lightly grilled tomato;

Smashed avocado, if you want a bit of healthy balance in there;

Toast from good quality bread, wholemeal, rye, sourdough, all good;

Condiments according to taste: I do like mustard with my sausages, and salsa makes an excellent alternative to ketchup;

And, not least, something to drink according to preference (coffee, black, strong, lots, for me) and freshly squeezed fruit juice for that vitamin hit!

Is it my imagination, or have I missed the following in the list

- Haggis

- Potato Scone

- White Pudding

- Fried Pancake