A Traditional English Breakfast
A fine English breakfast will get you out of bed in the morning and many will argue that it is the most important meal of the day. A hearty breakfast will keep you going for a while as you sight see across England.
While in London it was an absolute must to grab an English breakfast. Now you may be wondering what is so different between an American breakfast and an English one. The two things that stood out the most to me that were much different were that the English enjoy baked beans and black pudding for breakfast. Baked beans for breakfast… I thought that they were going to be some sort of different English tasting baked beans but nope, they tasted just like the ones we open from a can here in the States for dinner. It was odd enjoying baked beans at 9 in the morning along with eggs and sausage lol. But truth be told I didn’t hate it. I buttered up that toast and put a scooped of the baked beans right on top just as a true Brit would do! Yummy!
What is Black Pudding?
Black pudding is something you will also see on menus throughout the United Kingdom. But don’t be fooled thinking that it is similar to our dessert pudding in the United States, it is VERY different. Black pudding is a combination of fat, grains, seasoning, and…blood (either cow or pig). I will be honest I did not have the strength to try the black pudding, I just could not get over the mental block of eating blood. But I have heard very good things about black pudding. It’s a distant relative of sausage having a meaty and nutty flavor. Maybe next time in the UK I will be more adventurous…maybe lol.
English vs. American Breakfast
So a full English breakfast includes: fried eggs, toast, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, black pudding, and bacon (which is different from American bacon). So a few more vegetables are included in a traditional English breakfast when compared to an American one. Recreating an English breakfast at home would be very easy to do minus the black pudding.
An American Breakfast would consist of: eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, and maybe pancakes or waffles. There are many different ways you can go with an American Breakfast but you will never see baked beans on the menu!
I was very excited to try a real breakfast while in England and I am so happy I went to Terry’s Cafe for my first experience. It was so cute and the portions were very large. I ordered The Blowout which included Cumberland Sausage, 2 Fried Eggs, Bacon, Bubble and Squeak, Baked Beans, and Toast. Totaling to £12.80. Bubble and Squeak is pan fried vegetables most likely potatoes and cabbage (super yummy). Terry’s Cafe had many different options for breakfast and you could easily interchange items if you wanted to. It is a little bit cramped on the inside but that is just because of how popular this breakfast diner is. Go early and enjoy!
Verdict: Yay