British food has something of a bad reputation, but a full English breakfast is very much a delight. It's a meal usually served on weekends and holidays; on this side of the pond, a full English breakfast would make a lovely Saturday brunch. There are Irish, Scottish, and Welsh versions of the full breakfast if you prefer Irish soda bread, haggis, or laverbread as part of your morning meal.
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Also known as a fry-up or "full Monty" after British Army general Bernard Montgomery, the traditional full English breakfast is best accompanied by tea (and yes, English Breakfast is an appropriate tea). You might also add bubble and squeak (potatoes and cabbage). If you want to go truly full English, try black pudding, which is pork sausage made with pigs' blood, onions, seasoning, and oatmeal or barley.
To start your epic full English breakfast, cook pork sausages (and please, call them bangers) in a large skillet over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Bring the pan to medium heat and add the bacon, cooking it until crisp, for about 5-6 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan and place it on a plate covered with aluminum foil.
Heat the baked beans (Heinz Baked Beans, if you can find them) in a saucepan over medium heat; keep the beans warm on the stove while you prepare the rest of the meal. Cook the mushrooms in two tablespoons of butter in the frying pan, and then add the tomato halves, cut side down, and cook for three minutes without moving. Turn the tomatoes over and season with salt and pepper. Remove mushrooms and tomatoes from the pan and set them aside.
Cook the eggs in the skillet. The fried eggs can be cooked to your preference, either runny or crispy. While the eggs cook, toast the bread. Put your full English breakfast together by placing two slices of bacon, two sausage links, a few mushrooms, baked beans, one tomato half, two eggs, and a piece of toast from your trusty toaster onto a warm plate. Serve with marmalade and any other condiments like ketchup you like, and you've got the full English breakfast ready to eat! A side of orange juice or coffee will really make it complete, though.
If you want to, you can also add other dishes to the meal like hash browns, fried bread, scrambled eggs, or whatever other usual breakfast foods you enjoy. If you have a favorite breakfast recipe you want to throw in alongside your hearty breakfast fried up English-style, no one is stopping you!
Watch: Full Breakfast Casserole Muffins
Full English Breakfast
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, divided
- 8 pork sausages
- 8 slices bacon
- 2 cups Heinz baked beans
- 1 pt cremini mushrooms
- 2 tomatoes, halved
- 8 eggs
- 4 slices bread, toasted
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet with 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low, cook the pork sausages turning occasionally, about 15 minutes. Bring the pan to medium and add the bacon, cooking until crisp, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a plate covered with aluminum foil.
- Meanwhile in a small saucepan add the baked beans and heat over medium. Once warmed reduce to low to keep warm.
- To the skillet add 2 tablespoons butter and heat over medium. Add the mushrooms and cook 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
- To the same pan add the tomato halves, cut side down, and cook 3 minutes without moving. Turn the tomatoes over and season with salt and pepper. Remove mushrooms and tomatoes from pan and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan over medium heat. Crack in eggs (in batches if necessary) and cook to desired doneness. Remove and place on a plate.
- Prepare the breakfast by placing two slices of bacon, two sausage links, a few mushrooms, baked beans, one tomato half, 2 eggs, and a piece of toast on warm plate. Serve with hot black tea.
