Full English Breakfast

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.

Full English Breakfast

A proper Full English demands timing, not technique. The trick is a warm oven and a cool head: sausages first, then a coordinated sear of bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, and black pudding while fried bread bathes in butter. The finale, eggs basted golden in foaming fat, rewards a methodical pace. Build it all at once, plate hot.

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

  1. Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) to keep cooked items warm while you work.

  2. Heat a large flat griddle or two skillets over low to medium heat. Brush sparingly with olive oil.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. Slice the black pudding 1/2 inch thick. Cook 90 seconds per side until crisp at the edges.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. Plate immediately on warm plates. Serve with baked beans on the side, and HP or ketchup at the table.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Snip the fatty edge of bacon every inch before frying to stop it buckling and curling up in the pan. You want flat rashers.
  • Day-old bread is non-negotiable for fried bread. Fresh bread soaks up oil like a sponge and turns soggy. Stale bread stays crisp inside.
  • Start sausages first on medium-low heat and turn them every few minutes for even browning. Rushing them on high heat blasts the outside while the inside stays raw.
  • Don't move the mushrooms around once they hit the griddle stalk-side up. Let them sit 1 to 2 minutes undisturbed, flip once, then finish. Movement releases steam and ruins the texture.
  • For basted eggs, use a knob of butter in a separate pan and tilt constantly to gather the foaming fat. Baste is the whole point, not a luxury.

Variations

  • Scrambled eggs instead of fried: Cook slowly in butter off the heat, stirring constantly, for a creamy alternative that still feels indulgent.
  • Skip the fried bread and use thick toast with butter instead: Same effect, less oil, and kinder to the pan if you are cooking multiple rounds.
  • Add a grilled or fried tomato sauce between the eggs and bread: Stew down the leftover tomato halves with a pinch of sugar and serve as a base.
  • Go vegetarian: Replace sausages and bacon with thick-cut halloumi and mushrooms, keeping the same griddle timing and the eggs exactly as is.

Make ahead and storage

Leftovers keep cold for 2 days and reheat unevenly because of the variety of textures. Better to eat the eggs fresh and save only the sausages, bacon, and black pudding for a quick fry-up the next morning.

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