Nature – EZDAYFITNESS

Confession: I’ve never had a real full English. At least not in England or anywhere in world in fact, except right here, at home. But a couple of weeks ago, Mike and I were chatting with a dude that moved here from England and the thing he said he missed the most was breakfast, specifically a Full English breakfast. He waxed poetic about the deliciousness for a good five minutes, but I wasn’t sold. Mike was nodding along, agreeing with him because he’s eaten many a full English in London, but me? Nope.

I really wasn’t interested until Mike showed me a photo a couple days later. It was a giant plate and it looked AMAZING. I mean, it might have been because I was very hungry, but at the time, nothing looked better to my eyes. Thus started the Full English Obsession. Mike and I took a casual look around town to see what ingredients we could find and here’s what we came up with!

According to the internet, full English breakfasts need:

Sausages – I think everyone just goes with whatever sausages they like, but sometimes there are 2-3 kinds on a plate. We went with regular breakfast sausages and we also got a bit of black pudding, which seems like most people insist on having as well.
Back Bacon – This isn’t your regular bacon, which is made from pork belly, nope, back bacon is bacon that includes a little bit of the loin, kinda like a super thin pork chop but smoked. From what I can see, this kind of bacon isn’t really crispy.
Eggs – Pretty straight forward, all the full English plates I’ve seen have sunny side up eggs.
Tomatoes – These guys are cut in half along the equator and then seared in the pan and seasoned with salt and pepper. They aren’t really cooked, just given a little bit of color.
Mushrooms – Seems like a take or leave it item, but we’re going all out here so of course mushrooms are needed. They’re cooked in the usual way, nicely browned and caramelized
Toast – Don’t call it toast because I’ve seen some internet fights break out about the bread. You can’t just use a toaster and call it a day. The bread has to be FRIED, either with butter or oil.
Beans – You have to have beans! I mean, I’ve never really had beans at breakfast, but it’s classic. We went for Heinz because that’s what they do in England and because their teal cans are too cute.

We made this on a snowy morning and it was perfect! Lots of hot tea, big fluffy flakes falling down outside, and ALL the fried bread. But, to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m a huge fan. Call me a savage, but I think I love regular breakfast more. Mike on the other hand, LOVED it! He said it was as good as the full English breakfasts he had while he was in London. Me on the other hand? I didn’t eat for the rest of the day and went into a food coma – I was definitely full!

Toast and eggs together as one: egg in a hole, the best simple breakfast you should treat yourself to today.

Sometimes the simplest breakfasts are the best, especially if they’re as whimsical as egg in a hole toast. Call it what you will: toad in a hole, egg in a basket, bullseye eggs, hole-in-one – no matter what it’s name is, it’s delicious.

If you’re looking for golden brown toast, make sure you toast one side of your toast and flip before adding the egg. Also, if you’re looking for picture perfect egg in a holes without any whites spilling out, it helps if you crack your egg into a small bowl before pouring it into the hole in your bread. That way if your hole is too big or too small for the whites, you can easily pour in however much you need.

1 slice bread of choice
1 egg
1/2 – 1 tablespoon butter
salt and freshly ground pepper

Use a cookie cutter or glass to cut a hole out of your bread. Crack your egg into a small bowl and set aside.

In a frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat then add your bread with the hole cut out and toast. Toast your circle cut out at the same time. When the toast is golden, flip. If the pan is dry, add a touch more butter as needed.

Carefully pour your egg into the hole and cook on medium to medium low, covered (use a glass lid if you have one so you can see) until the egg is done to your liking. Enjoy with salt and freshly ground pepper.