s!

I am headed to London for the first time and I have no idea what a English Breakfast contains. Help.

not shy

Is disgusting.

scones

It usually means a full breakfast such as bacon and eggs, fruit, rolls and cereal. The other choice being a continental breakfast rolls, danish and coffee.

Ed

I'll try and avoid most gratuitous comments about English cooking. Some is dreadful, some quite excellent. <BR> <BR>Breakfast is usually quite decent. A 'typical' (hotel style) 'English breakfast' is a buffet offering you the opportunity to sup on 5 or 10 thousand calories before you start your day. In some places in the US I've found similar morning buffets called Hunt Club Breakfasts, though I've not run across one in years now. <BR> <BR>Usually a far more extensive buffet breakfast than those found in US hotels. <BR> <BR>Typically: several kinds of eggs, a potato dish or two, often with onions or other condiment, broiled tomatoes, kippered herring, bacon, sausage, ham, perhaps small steaks, several pastries, usually an extensive choice of jams and jellies, butter, toasts. It's been a while and I don't recall waffles or pancakes or any equivalent. This list is somewhat shorter than what you're likely to find. <BR> <BR>English bacon is a bit different in cut than US bacon; you may find it a bit underdone. Fried eggs will often be cooked less than many North Americans might like. <BR> <BR>It took me several trips to England before I moved off the opinion that English eggs and bacon 'sucked' and began to enjoy them. I've worked at the herring but just haven't become fond of it. The broiled tomatoes are find, but I still find them odd for breakfast. <BR> <BR>Ed

Lori

We've found that normally it is an egg and bacon with a small tomato also on the plate. Toast is included (altho you might have a choice of rolls or muffins) as well as coffee or tea (or milk if requested). Juice is usually included as well. A continental breakfast is just coffee/tea and a muffin/breakfast rolls and sometimes juice, depending on the place.

Shanna

The term brings confusion with it. Brits call the big meal - eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, American. Like the rest of the world, breakfast for the English consists of grab what you can and run. However, if what you are looking at is a statement "includes full English breakfast," that would mean eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, tomatoes probably, maybe mushrooms and kidneys. But, as one respondent said, "disgusting" is sadly often the case. Bacon is fatty; toast is fried not toasted - in that bacon fat; the tomatoes are little bitty things grown in hothouses. Kidneys - well, I've tried them and even my cat won't eat kidneys, so yech. But you can ask for the bread to not be fried and eat it cold; usually the eggs are cooked to order and taste fine. Sometimes you can find a little lean on the bacon. Then there's always the cereal if you want bulk. Count on corn flakes. Still, I always ate enough to keep me going until long after the lunch hour and I'm very fussy. But then I'd be in trouble trying to get late lunch. Regardless of what you get for any meal, stop in at a grocery store and get some items - fruit and cookies, for example, to augment your meals. Also, you should have "tea making facilities" so you can get packets of hot chocolate or a better quality tea to enhance the meal. Eating in England is, well, unusual to say the least. After two weeks of countryside food experiences, my husband and I drove into London, saw McDonald's and Pizza Hut and went into paroxysms (sp) of delight! We had pizza for dinner and McMuffins for breakfast, something we'd never do at home. We were starving! Morning tea, on the other hand, usually has good scones, biscuits, or other yummy baked things. And afternoon tea can be a meal if you're in a big town. Have fun!

Jeff

We rec'd baked beans with our "English Breakfast" at a London hotel whose breakfast was popular with locals. Anyone else experience that? Our toast was in fact toasted and (of course) served on a little toast holder. <BR>

kk

Personally, I enjoy the full English breakfast, and I rationalize all that cholesterol this way....I don't do it all the time, only when in England.....and, all those calories help me go through a heavy day of sightseeing. And I love those baked beans with the runny fried eggs. After a few days of these breakfasts in a row, however, I do opt for cereal and yogurt, I must say! <BR>But then, after five days in a row of croissants in France, I want a change, too. And cold cuts for two weeks in Germany, a change is needed then, too. All in all, I think English food is taking a bad rap here.

rand

Every B&B has a slightly different take on what is an 'English breakfast' or as one place listed it 'Full English'. Unless specified otherwise, the egg is fried. The bacon is the round kind we call back bacon and Americans often call Canadian bacon. Sausage and sometimes blood pudding. Only one in eight places we stayed offered the fried toast. Everywhere the rack of cold toast was provided without question. Oh and the Alhambra Hotel in London delivers the lot swimming in a pool of watery baked beans unless requested not to. The place in Winderemere had a large bowl of 'stewed fruit' from which you could help yourself if you dared. Everywhere thought the cereal juice and toast is an option if the thought of all that grease disgusts you.

S. C. DIXON

I too used to really hate the FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST, but like so much in life, at least some of it is an aquired taste. <BR> <BR>Yes, you will find underdone eggs and most place give you few options as to how they're "fried", so try scrambled or poaced. You will also find "back" bacon which many Americans abhor (In the UK American style bacon is often called "streaky" bacon"). <BR> <BR>Most likely you will also have "bangers", a rather disgusting looking type of sausage which actually tastes fine, though a bit bland. The grilled tomatoes were a surprise as were the "baked" beans, which are like our pork'n'beans. <BR> <BR>For cereal have often been given the choice of corn flakes or Wheatabix (a type of shredded wheat which looks suspiciously like something you clean out from under your lawn mower in autumn) or sugar pops. Toast or scones (if you're lucky, with clotted cream, which is fortunately MUCH better than it sounds), marmalade, fresh butter. Another treat is very fresh milk or cream for the coffee (very strong) or tea. Some places will serve a little side of mushrooms or brocolli and sometimes fried potoato ("chips"), with or without fresh or fried onions. <BR> <BR>Also canned fruit is common, generally prunes (unpitted) or grapefruit sections. Again, prunes are a pretty good option when your traveling, especially if jet lag has affected your system adversely. <BR> <BR>I do not stay in expensive hotels and this has been general fare in mid-range hotels, B&B's as well as in the homes I've stayed in, although you should allow for considerably variations particularly with the "side" dishes. <BR> <BR>For your trivia info I've been told that up until around WWII a man's breakfast might very well include a pint of coal-black Porter (an alcholic "ale" type drink, though it isn't really ale at all) and that the ladies might enjoy a half pint of lager as an eye opener). I don't know how wide spread that custom was but it was definitely prevalent up around Norfolk, in extreme north eastern England and at least in some sections of London. <BR> <BR>At any length, breakfast is usually "free", well, at least included, and it is a chance to carb up on a high calorie meal that should last you easily until mid afternoon. Make the most of it. After all, I should think that one of the reasons you've chosen to travel is to experience the customs and ways and, of course, the foods of other cultures.

CS

Well, I'm English and I think 'English breakfast' is the vilest thing ever... As for 'toast' - the variety that's fried in the same fat as the bacon, etc is generally known as fried bread; toast is the stuff that's grilled and comes in a rack

Rose

I found England to have a penchant for fried foods. I eat (mostly) low fat non-meat grub and found myself hungry in England. I ate alot of beans, and toast and jam for breakfast. For lunch I stopped in at Marks & Spencers for a sandwich and/or salad. For dinner curries or more sandwiches. This was a budget trip folks... <BR> <BR>A TIP: Take some granola bars with you for a bit of fibre when you need it. They're also good for those hunger pangs on sightseeing rounds.

s!

So...is everything I hear about British food getting so much better a bunch of whooey?

jane

Healthy, low fat food in England is easy to find - just stay away from tourist-oriented places with their fried breakfasts, cream scones, fish and chips, etc This is basically just put on for tourists - I've lived in England for 30 years and I don't think I've ever met anyone who eats those things (apart from chips of course!)

Rose

But, where, Jane, oh where does the tourist find this food? I would have loved to know on my trip to England.

Jane

Rose, <BR>Cranks (lots of branches) and Food for Thought (Covent Garden) are veggie restaurants that sell a variety of healthy food. Otherwise, if you pick your dishes wisely, there's always Indian and Italian restaurants - I'm actually trying to think of what *is* English food...

lisa

I absolutely LOVE this thread -- it's exactly why I keep coming back to this forum. You all have brought back fond memories of my first few days in England -- standing in the breakfast line in a cafeteria in Cambridge and rubbing sleepy eyes in disbelief at the baked beans and mysterious half of a warm tomato adorning my fried eggs, bacon, and cold toast. The other option for breakfast was a bowl of a cereal I'd never heard of called Wheatabix or something like that, which tasted like floor sweepings to me. Having tried both, the eggs & bacon won out. To be honest, I even grew to like the baked beans by the end of my time in England.

Terry

I am confused!! It appears that many of your responders have not visited England for many years. My wife and I found the English Breakfast to be very good - Eggs, toast (toasted not fried) bacon (not our fatty kind which the English call streaky bacon, very lean - actually a nice piece of ham) tomato, mushroom, always choice of juice and cereal. By the way we have had more underdone eggs in the US than any foreign country. As for the other English food, <BR>We like pub grub which is done to perfection and inexpensive. The English are famous for their pub food. While in London don't miss the Anchor Pub - one of the oldest if not the oldest with great atmosphere and food. <BR>Cheers!!

s!

Baked beans? Tomatoes? For breakfast? Sounds like American breakfasts rule.

rand

The only pub we happened upon that only had the old style choice of sausage ,beans &chips or chicken pie was the pub directly across from the British museum. The rest all had a variety of good food. I remember spinach and feta cannelloni at one place. Yes Terry, I have been back for ten days now, long enough to have done the laundry, mowed the lawn and be looking at airfare specials