All across the United Kingdom, you’ll find variations on the classic full English breakfast. Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall all have their own local flair to add to the plate, but they all have one thing in common – they’re all built on a sound foundation of eggs, meat, beans and carbs. Let’s take a closer look at the classic English brekkie.
What’s on your ‘full English’ plate?
The picture shows a reasonably classic full English, although we’d usually replace the coffee with tea, it’s not generally served with jam on the toast and some restaurants offer hashbrowns or sauteed potatoes, but there does appear to something missing…
Black pudding
Black pudding in England, N. Ireland and Wales, haggis in Scotland and hogs pudding in Cornwall, this is the local addition that you may not always see included in a full English – there is debate over whether it belongs at all! If you do find a ‘pudding’ on your plate, don’t be alarmed, it’s not a chocolate custard dessert, but a savoury, pork-based sausage. The ‘black’ colour comes from pork blood, notably missing from hogs pudding in Cornwall, where the pork element is simply meat, and in Scotland the haggis is made with lamb organ meats, but they’re all essentially the same iron rich, savoury delight.
Beans
In America you’ll probably only find Heinz Baked Beans in the ‘English’ section of the supermarket, but over here in England you will find them everywhere! The baked bean is held in great affection in England and is a staple in almost everyone’s kitchen, given to children from a very early age as an enjoyable source of protein, they are the ultimate fast food.
Eggs
Poached, fried or scrambled – but never hard boiled! Not on a full English plate anyway… More protein, and seriously tasty they add colour and flavor to every plate.
Bacon
Streaky, back, smoked or not, while you tend to choose what kind of eggs you’d like, the restaurant tends to choose your bacon for you. That said, it’s likely to be nicely cooked, but not crispy.
Toast, fried bread, hashbrowns or sauteed potatoes?
The carbohydrate element of the full English, you might have a combination of two or three, or a choice of brown or white toast. Toast is always served with real butter – locally produced if possible, and sometimes a small pot of jam can be added for afters, but the starchy element is usually how we clean our plates of the bean juice and egg yolk!
Sausages
More meat, or vegetarian is always an option. Even if you have a Cornish hogs pudding, you’ll still get a good old fashioned pork sausage or two as well.
Token vegetables
Not always welcome on a full English, but the vegetables you’ll typically find are grilled fried or tinned plum tomatoes and mushrooms, maybe avocado, but unlikely. Depending on where you are, they’ll be either the smaller button or chestnut mushrooms, or the larger flat field mushroom, and will probably be adorned with a micro-green or herb or some kind, for added flair and to lift the colour of the meal!
Tea, or coffee?
Traditionally, a full English is served with a pot of English breakfast tea and milk. A brand like Twining’s is popular, which also has a respectable decaffeinated version, but you might like to ask for the restaurant’s selection of herbal or fruit teas. Coffee is of course always on offer too, albeit less traditional, and as you know that comes in a very wide variety of styles.
How are you having your full English breakfast?
Whether you choose a pudding or not, vegetarian or meaty, tea or coffee, your full English breakfast is an iconic way to start your day and give you all the energy you need for exploring the Cotswolds – you might end up looking for a lighter option for lunch that day though!
The luxury accommodation we recommend generally share their menus on their websites, or we would be pleased to suggest superb cafés for a more intimate experience. Just let your driver guide know, or even better, ask Paola or James in the office when they set about curating your Cotswolds holiday agenda.
