Full English Breakfast

Name: Full English Breakfast
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8 good-quality pork sausages; 8 rashers thick-cut back bacon (or streaky if unavailable); 4 large flat or portobello mushrooms; 4 ripe tomatoes, halved; 4 slices black pudding, sliced; 4 large eggs; 4 slices thick-cut white bread; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 small can baked beans (Heinz or homemade), warmed; 1 for serving HP brown sauce or ketchup, to serve

From the kitchen of Carly

The legendary fry-up: sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pudding, and fried bread. The choreography matters more than the recipe; everything finishes in different times, and the trick is landing them on the plate hot. Plates in the oven. Cold plates kill the meal. Warm them while you cook.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 35 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

8good-quality pork sausages
8 rashersthick-cut back bacon (or streaky if unavailable)
4large flat or portobello mushrooms
4ripe tomatoes, halved
4 slicesblack pudding, sliced
4large eggs
4 slicesthick-cut white bread
2 tbspolive oil
2 tbspunsalted butter
1 small canbaked beans (Heinz or homemade), warmed (optional)
1 for servingHP brown sauce or ketchup, to serve (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) to keep cooked items warm while you work.
Heat a large flat griddle or two skillets over low to medium heat. Brush sparingly with olive oil.
Start the sausages first. They take the longest. Cook over medium-low, turning occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes until evenly browned and cooked through. Move them to the warm oven on a plate as they finish.
Snip the fatty edge of the bacon every inch (this stops it curling). Fry 2 to 4 minutes per side to your preferred crispiness. Move to the oven.
Brush the mushrooms with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place stalk-side up on the griddle. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, flip, then cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Don't move them around; static cooking gives the best texture.
Cut the tomatoes in half across the equator. Remove the green bit. Season with salt and olive oil. Place cut-side down on the griddle for 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more until softened but holding shape.
Slice the black pudding 1/2 inch thick. Cook 90 seconds per side until crisp at the edges.
For fried bread, use day-old bread for best results. Heat a separate frying pan to medium with a 1/4-inch layer of oil. Fry the bread 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Add a knob of butter on the flip for richness.
For the eggs, crack each into the bread pan. Cook 30 seconds. Add another 1 tbsp butter. Tilt the pan and baste the eggs with the foaming butter. Cook to your preferred doneness, then lift out with a fish slice.
Plate immediately on warm plates. Serve with baked beans on the side, and HP or ketchup at the table.

Substitutions

black pudding to skip it, or substitute haggis or chorizo. Black pudding is divisive. Chorizo gives smoke; haggis goes more Scottish-leaning.
back bacon to American streaky bacon or Canadian bacon. Streaky is fattier and crispier. Canadian bacon is leaner, closer to back bacon in shape.
fried bread to buttered toast or hash browns. Fried bread is the British classic. Hash browns are a happy crossover with American breakfast.

Pairs well with: A pot of strong English breakfast tea with milk, Fresh-squeezed orange juice, Toast and marmalade on the side

Adapted from TheMealDB.