Full English Breakfast
Britain's legendary fry-up, a hearty and satisfying breakfast featuring a medley of classic components: crispy bacon, juicy sausages, perfectly fried eggs, warm baked beans, sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes, rich black pudding, and golden toast.
🧂 Ingredients
- 4 rashers Back bacon(Good quality, streaky or back cut)
- 4 Pork sausages(Good quality, Cumberland or Lincolnshire style recommended)
- 4 Eggs(Large, free-range if possible)
- 400 g Baked beans(In tomato sauce, one standard can)
- 150 g Mushrooms(Button or chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean and halved or quartered if large)
- 2 Tomatoes(Medium-sized, ripe, halved horizontally)
- 4 slices Black pudding(Approximately 1cm thick)
- 4 slices Bread(For toast, white or brown)
- 2 tbsp Butter or Oil(For frying, if needed)
- to taste Salt and Black Pepper
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) or heat a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-low heat. Place the sausages in the oven or pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. If using a pan, you may need to add a little oil.
⏱️ 25 minutes - 2
While the sausages cook, prepare the other components. Add the bacon rashers to a separate frying pan over medium heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy to your liking. Remove bacon and set aside on kitchen paper, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
⏱️ 8 minutes - 3
Add the halved tomatoes, cut-side down, to the bacon fat in the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened and slightly caramelized. Remove and set aside with the bacon.
⏱️ 4 minutes - 4
Add the mushrooms to the same pan, adding a little more oil or butter if needed. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until tender and golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove and set aside.
⏱️ 7 minutes - 5
Add the black pudding slices to the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side until heated through and slightly crisp on the edges. Remove and set aside.
⏱️ 5 minutes - 6
While the black pudding fries, gently heat the baked beans in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, or microwave according to package instructions. Toast the bread slices until golden brown.
⏱️ 5 minutes - 7
In a clean frying pan, heat a little oil or butter over medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan, season with salt and pepper. Fry for 3-4 minutes for sunny-side up, or longer if you prefer them more cooked. You can baste the tops with hot oil for faster cooking.
⏱️ 4 minutes - 8
Assemble the Full English Breakfast on warm plates. Arrange the sausages, bacon, black pudding, fried eggs, sautéed mushrooms, and tomatoes. Serve immediately with the hot baked beans and toast on the side.
⏱️ 2 minutes
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Timing is key: Start the sausages first as they take the longest. Aim to have everything ready to plate at the same time.
- ✓Utilize the rendered bacon fat for frying the tomatoes, mushrooms, and black pudding to infuse them with extra flavour.
- ✓For a less greasy breakfast, you can bake the bacon and sausages on a rack in the oven.
- ✓Serve with your favourite condiments such as HP sauce, ketchup, or brown sauce.
- ✓Consider adding fried bread or hash browns for an even more indulgent meal.
✨ Twist Ideas
Inspiration for your own version of this recipe
- Scottish: Add a slice of haggis.
- Welsh: Include laverbread (seaweed).
- Irish: Add white pudding and soda bread.
- Vegetarian: Substitute sausages with vegetarian alternatives and omit bacon and black pudding.