Farmhouse Breakfast Week starts Today!
“How do you like your eggs, fried or boiled?” That was the catchphrase the British Egg industry used for a television advert some 20 + years ago and it is true that the way you cook eggs for breakfast can be rather boring……….the advert then went on to say, cue man dreaming of his perfect cooked eggs…“or coddled, scrambled, in an omelette, poached..”……and it is that thorny issue that I will grasp this morning for my first Farmhouse Breakfast Week post! It’s all about eggs today and eggs in the most famous of British breakfasts, The Full English Breakfast – F E B, or as it is sometimes called The Full Monty!
(Photo from Farmhouse Breakfast Week Site)
So, how do you like your eggs? Well, I am a bit of a non-conformist here – I know I am probably in the minority, but my eggs when fried for a Full English Breakfast have to be “sans wobbly yolk” and must be mixed up and turned over! My husband and daughter on the other hand like their eggs “sunny side up” for suitable bacon, toast or sausage dipping! It’s all a matter of personal preference and I am in the “non wobbly” yolk camp. It’s the same when it comes to boiled eggs too…..I know that soft boiled eggs and toast soldiers are a classic breakfast dish, and I SO want to like my eggs that way, but, I am a hard boiled eggs kinda gal and always have been. However, I don’t mind a soft golden yolk when it comes to a poached or coddled egg though……yes, I know, I am an “egg enigma!” I also like my bacon crispy, and my mushrooms slightly toasty on the edges, as well as well cooked and slightly charred fried tomatoes…….yes, I know, I’m a little fussy about my Full English Breakfast!
A Full English Breakfast is indeed a fine British tradition – and a meal to set you up for the day; there is a saying in the UK that goes like this: “breakfast like a King, lunch like a Queen and have supper like a pauper”. So, what does a typical full English breakfast consist of? One recipe in an Edwardian Cookbook listed a plethora of ingredients that would have graced the table of many a stately home at the turn of the century, to include 7 courses! A modern day FEB is likely to consist of the following: two sausages, two or three rashers of bacon, fried eggs, fried bread, tomato and lashings of mushrooms with black pudding and brown HP sauce to taste. In finer establishments you can even expect additional courses such as cereal, porridge, kippers, toast and jam or marmalade, kedgeree, or devilled kidneys. Rumour has it that the term ‘The Full Monty’ is used to refer to these type of breakfasts because Field Marshal Montgomery was rather partial to them. Below is my basic recipe for an FEB, with optional extras, as is expected for a feast like this. Grill or fry your FEB – and make sure you have acres of hot buttered toast and gallons of English Breakfast Tea! I am NOT suggesting this is what you should eat every morning – but it is a wonderful treat for the weekends, holidays and just when you feel like it…..and is an ideal recipe to kick of Farmhouse Breakfast Week on a Sunday.
(Excuse my rather poor photos, but a HOT FEB waits for no man and certainly no woman with a camera, so these were taken in haste!)
| The Full Monty – F E B – Full English Breakfast |
- 2 links of good quality Butcher’s sausages
- 2 to 3 rashers of good smoked back or streaky bacon
- 2 field mushrooms
- 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1 or 2 large free-range eggs
- 1 slice bread
- Optional Extras:
- 1 slice black pudding (optional)
- baked beans (optional)
- cooked potatoes, thinly sliced (optional)
- Heat a flat griddle over a low heat, over the top of 2 rings if it fits, and brush sparingly with light olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Sausages: Always buy sausages with a high meat content. Cook these first. Add the sausages to the hot griddle and allow to cook slowly for about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden. After the first 10 minutes, increase the heat to medium before beginning to cook the other ingredients. If you are struggling for space, completely cook the sausages and keep hot on a plate in the oven.
- Bacon: Choose between back or streaky, smoked or unsmoked bacon; generally, dry-cure has the best flavour. Snip a few small cuts into the fatty edge of the bacon. Place the bacon straight on to the griddle and fry for 2-4 minutes each side or until your preferred crispiness is reached. Like the sausages, the cooked bacon can be kept hot on a plate in the oven.
- Mushrooms: Wipe your mushrooms, cleaning away any dirt and trim the stalk so it’s level with the mushroom top. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over a little olive oil. Place stalk-side up on the grill plate and cook for 1-2 minutes before turning and cooking for a further 3-4 minutes. Avoid moving the mushrooms too much while cooking, as this releases the natural juices, making them soggy. (Alternatively, you can slice your mushrooms, as shown in my photo)
- Tomatoes: Cut the tomatoes across the centre/or in half lengthways if using plum tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place cut-side down on the griddle and cook without moving for 4 minutes. Gently turn over and season again. Cook for a further 3-5 minutes until tender but still holding their shape.
- Fried Bread: For ‘proper’ fried bread it’s best to cook it in a separate pan. Ideally, use bread that is a couple of days old. Heat a frying pan to a medium heat and cover the base with oil or bacon drippings. Add the bread and cook for 2-3 minutes each side until crispy and golden. If the pan becomes too dry, add a little more oil or bacon drippings.
- Eggs: Break the eggs straight into a frying pan with the fried bread and leave for 30 seconds. Add a good knob of butter/oil or bacon drippings and lightly baste the egg with the fats when melted. Cook to your liking, season and gently remove with a fish slice.
- Serving: Once all the ingredients are cooked, serve on warm plates and enjoy straight away with a good squeeze of tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce or brown sauce, and don’t forget the toast and marmalade with a pot of good English Breakfast tea.
- Optional Extras: Cut the black pudding into 3-4 slices and remove the skin. Place on the griddle and cook for 1 to 2 minutes each side until slightly crispy. Heat up the baked beans in a saucepan and serve on top of the fried bread, or on the side. Fry the sliced cooked potatoes in a little butter/bacon drippings until crispy and golden brown. Season with a little salt and black pepper.
This breakfast recipe would be perfect for a Slow Sunday and that’s the name of a new event that I will be starting next week, so look out for more details. Have a wonderful Sunday, and I hope you all managed to enjoy breakfast for the first day of Farmhouse Breakfast Week. See you later with more of my latest news, new events and recipes……..Karen
Fiona Maclean says
lol, stop leading me into temptation!!!:) I love FEB, especially with black pudding!!!
Karen says
Sorry for being a breakfast temptress Fiona! I also LOVE a slice of black pudding with my FEB too, and fried potatoes!
Fiona Moore says
Looks good. But in Scotland would have Lorn(sliced square sausage) and tattie(potato) scones as well. With a slice of fried clootie dumpling if it’s available. No need for lunch after it keeps you full until dinner.
Karen says
OH I DO so agree Fiona! I have a recipe for Lorn sausage and make it often! I will feature that next week if I have a chance…..and as for tattie scones, YES bring them on! (I am half Scottish and love a GOOD Scottish brekkie) Not so sure about clootie dumpling, had a bad experience with some once! I will try to feature a Scottish Breakfast next week….thanks for popping by!
bakingaddict says
Looks amazing! I usually only have the FEB when on holiday as it’s such a indulgent treat. I’m a bit funny with eggs too – never used to like eating the yolks at all unless it was scrambled egg. Then only when the yolks were fully cooked, now I have progressed to eating runny yolks but not all the time.
Karen says
Thank goodness it is not just me who is a wee bit funny about the yolks!! Thanks for stopping by for a FEB.
Fiona Burns says
Looks delicious – I would have it all except for the sausage/bacon – I am veggie and love Glamorgan sausages. Any other ideas for veggie sausages and vegetarian brekky ideas?
Karen says
Thanks Fiona! I am quite happy to go veggie for breakfast or main meals etc. so a veggie breakfast is no problem. Glamorgan Sausages are one of my favourites, as are cheese and onion muffin cups….recipe to follow ~ and there is always fried potatoes with melted cheese too, as well as garlic mushrooms on toast! Will post a veggie breakfast next week of course.
Fiona Burns says
The cheese and onion muffin cups sound intriguing – look forward to the veggie breakfast in due course. Many thanks.
Karen says
Great! Some time this week Fiona! Karen XX
Sylvie (A Pot of Tea) says
That looks amazing and I can’t blame you for not wasting hours to get the perfect photo. They are mouth-watering as they are, and I’m looking forward to more breakfast ideas, Karen!
Karen says
Thanks Sylvie! No time to fuss about with cameras when a hot breakfast is waiting! LOL!
Hesper says
Oh,My!
This looks so good and its breakfast time here.
I wish I had everything to make this right now, because its making my mouth water:)
Karen says
Sorry Hesper! LOL! Maybe another day eh? Have a wonderful Sunday!
Mark Willis says
I like Black Pudding with FEB too – and baked beans if available. And another Must for me is a dollop of tomato ketchup.
Karen says
Yup! Black pudding for me too…..and Worcestershire sauce too!
Marie says
You can’t beat a full English Karen, although to be honest we more often than not have it as dinner rather than breakfast. Yours looks lovely. I could not eat fried eggs for years having gotten a tummy bug one time as a child after having eaten them. I am happy to say that I can now eat them quite happily. I do like my yolks a bit more on the hard side than runny though. Todd, he likes them runny, although they don’t always like him! xxoo
Karen says
Hi Marie! Lovely to see you here…..I have just added you to my WP blogs to follow too, so I should get your updates now! Yeah, another hard yolk lover!! And yes, I agree, a FEB replaces a lunch for me too…..
Choclette says
Oh my, I want a full English breakfast now. I may need the meaty bits substituted, but I do like a good fry up and this looks perfect. It’s not something we have very often, but it’s such a treat when we do.
Karen says
I am posting a veggie brekkie this week sometime….my sister is a veggie and she has requested I do a post! Thanks! Karen xx