The Full English Breakfast is England’s favorite way to start the day. With all your favorite breakfast items and a few you may not be familiar with. This is how you do breakfast, British-style. So bring your appetite as this is a big breakfast and not for the faint of heart. I’m going to take through all the components of a traditional full English (as we call it).

Sausages, tomato, mushrooms, bacon and egg in a cast iron skillet

It doesn’t get anymore British than this, because England actually has a National breakfast. There are usually 5-7 items that make up a full English breakfast depending on which items are included. If I’m going for it, I’m going for all 7. Here’s how this massive breakfast shapes up.

A Full English breakfast on a white plate with fried break and a cup of tea

Sausage

Good English pork sausage. It’s hard to find a bad sausage in England because they are made really well. Recently I’m seeing a lot more supermarkets carry British-style bangers and they are a good substitute. If all else fails, any of your favorite sausage would work.

Bacon

American bacon is not allowed here. I love American bacon, it’s just not the right kind for this Full English Breakfast.

What is American bacon? Isn’t it just, bacon? Yes, but in England we eat back bacon (cut from the back). It’s very much like Canadian bacon, as it does not crisp up like American bacon that is streaked with fat and cut from the belly. Back bacon is very ham-like with the fat around the edge and unsmoked.

Eggs

Fried and sunny-side up. Scrambled does not belong here because you have to have the runny yolk. I like to think of it as breakfast gravy.

A mini copper pan filled with British baked beans

Beans

Beans for breakfast? Sure, start the day with fiber. Baked beans, just like American barbecue beans without the barbecue flavor, they are just in a plain tomato sauce. Canned is allowed, or you could make your own. Here’s my recipe > British Baked Beans.

Tomatoes

Fresh only, no canned. Simply cut in half and sautéed flesh side down to soften and brown slightly. It’s nice to have something fresh in the meal.

Mushrooms

Fresh, brown or white mushrooms, nothing fancy, whatever you find in your grocery store. Sliced and simply sautéed.

Dipping a piece of fried bread into an egg yolk

Bread

Buttered toast is acceptable, but if you’re going all out you really need fried bread. What is fried bread? It’s white bread fried in vegetable oil until golden brown. That’s about as simple as it gets. No one said this was a healthy breakfast.

Black pudding (don’t be afraid)

I know what you may have heard, but it has flavors and spices that make it taste really good. It’s a sausage not a pudding and not always served with the breakfast both in England and Scotland.

It is a personal preference but again, if I’m going for it, I’m going for all of it. It’s a very flavorful, all natural pork sausage (but it does contain something to make it black). I’ll let you Google that…

A large white plate with fried eggs, baked beans, sausages, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes and black pudding.

Condiments

Brown sauce is a must (it is just like a steak sauce) and ketchup is allowed.

So that’s the breakdown and lowdown on Full English. I don’t recommend eating it everyday. I like to enjoy it once in a while on Sunday morning. Because the breakfast is so big, you can imagine, I don’t eat much the rest of the day.

If you’ve tried this Full English Breakfast  or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

Yield: 2

Full English Breakfast

Fried egg, bacon, sausage, tomato, mushrooms in a cast iron skillet

Sunny side up eggs, sausage, tomatoes, back bacon, mushrooms, black pudding and fried bread

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (136 grams) baked beans
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 4 pork sausages
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) mushrooms
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, cut in half
  • Small pinch of salt
  • 2 slices black pudding
  • 2 slices white bread
  • 4 large eggs
  • Lard or cooking oil of your choice (if needed)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200°F/95°C. Place a large, ovenproof dish in the oven to keep warm.
  2. To a small saucepan, add the beans and keep warm over medium low heat.
  3. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat add the bacon and sausages. Cook until the bacon is cooked and the sausage browned (turning to brown evenly). Transfer to the dish in the oven to keep warm.
  4. To the fat from the bacon (add lard or oil if needed). Cook the mushrooms over medium heat until browned. Tranfer to the oven, keeping the fat in the pan.
  5. Season the tomatoes with salt and add them flesh down to the same pan. Add the black pudding and cook each for 2 minutes per side. Remove and transfer to the dish in the oven.
  6. If needed, add more lard or oil to the pan over medium high heat.Add the bread to the oil (test it by putting in a corner of bread, if it sizzles, it’s ready) and cook until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain.
  7. To the same oil add the eggs and spoon hot oil over the yolks until cooked.
  8. Serve all the components on a plate with the bread on the side.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 431Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 235mgSodium 868mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 5gSugar 9gProtein 22g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

This full English breakfast recipe was first featured on Food Fanatic, where I am a contributor.