Full English Breakfast

A full English breakfast is the traditional breakfast, especially on the weekend, in the UK.  As almost everything on the plate is fried, it is also called a "fry up".

The usual components of a fry up are fried eggs, back bacon, sausage links, fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, black pudding, along with toast or fried bread.  Sometimes hash browns are also on the plate.  Tea or coffee accompanies breakfast.

The bacon isn't the American style of streaky bacon.  English back bacon is leaner than American bacon.  It's from the back and contains a bit of pork belly.  The sausage are usually Cumberland links.


The beans are simmered in tomato sauce.  There aren't the brown sugar baked beans that you would have at a BBQ.

Black pudding is a a blood sausage.  It's made from pork blood, fat, oatmeal, groats, and spices.  In Ireland, a full Irish also contains both black pudding and white pudding.  White pudding is the same thing as black pudding except there's no blood in it.

I've heard in Scotland, a fry up sometimes includes haggis.

You can find English breakfasts across Europe.  Well, at least in any pub or cafe that caters to UK tourists.  Here's a YouTube video that covers all of the important details on putting together a proper full English breakfast.