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I ended up having to overnight at some anonymous hotel near Heathrow once when my BA flight over the water arrived <I>13</I> hours late, and in the morning, over a pretty universal hotel breakfast buffet (it was Sunday) had time for a long read of the Times before my connecting flight. In the Sunday magazine was a hilarious review of breakfast at Simpson's in the Strand, famous for its roast beef and glowing house ties (pink beyond pink) for hapless tie-less diners. The featured breakfast offering, which the reviewer ate and said was excellent, was Pig's Nose in Parsely and Onion Sauce. He said it was somewhat shocking to behold, though, as it was served nostrils up. <BR> <BR>Pass the cornflakes.

Although having nothing to do with breakfast, someone did mention vegetables, and I thought I would respond. Having been to London a dozen times, I seem to recall that the only vegetables that seem to be prevalent are green peas; I think they were served with practically every hot lunch and dinner I have ordered in London. I've also seen a lot of potatoes, mushrooms, beets, carrots and onions. I recall someone telling me that the lack of other vegetables has something to do with the British weather and climate, and that most other vegetables are imported, and therefore very expensive.

I am apalled at the comments from those across the pond on English breakfast. What about Sizzlers etc you have in America. The amount one is supposed to eat, and the bacon, well, burnt to a crisp and fatty. At least we give you a decent piece of ham. Also, whats this corned beef hash stuff for breakfast over there?

'Corned Beef Hash' 'Steak and Eggs' or 'The Buckeye-served with sausage gravy' all items from the menu at the 'Holiday Inn' I stayed in (in the states) and you think the English have a wierd breakfast?!! STEAK?! SAUSAGE GRAVY?!!!

I find it amusing that Americans find having tomato for breakfast weird. Culturally different, but not weird. Afterall tomato is technically a FRUIT, not a vegetable. How is having broiled tomato different from ketchup or salsa on your eggs? I love salsa on my eggs. <BR> <BR>I have not been to England - plan to go next summer - but I have been to Austrailia and loved having tomatoes as well as zucchinni for breakfast - they were seasoned with herbs and were very tasty. <BR> <BR>I guess the fodorits represent the healthiest cross section of people. The Americans I know eat an extreamly fatty diet. Maybe it is because I live in the south, but a typical breakfast down here is grits loaded with butter, biscuits (also loaded with butter), pork sausage links or patties,eggs fried in bacon grease....

English bacon is a delight, compared to US bacon. But if it's served buffet style, it can be greasy, simply due to the fact that it's sat there in some residual fat for a while. ANY food served buffet style tends to suffer; I never eat at buffet style places with any expectations of quality. <BR> <BR>I have grown to love hash browns, corned beef hash, fried eggs, from my local US 'greasy spoon' for breakfast, with ketchup on the hash browns, and tabasco. But a UK b/fast of fried tomatoe, crispy lean bacon, and toast - yum! <BR> <BR>When I see obese Americans tucking into a pile (a mountain!) of pancakes, and a slice of cake, for breakfast (after their steak and eggs), I realize that no country in the world can come close to the states for food abuse! <BR> <BR>Having traveled all over Europe, I can't recall anywhere serving much in the way of vegetables. Only in California do you seem to get decent vegetables served with a meal. In our recent trip to France, the only veg. that graced our plates in 10 days were potatoes, baked with cheese. In fact, we were totally disappointed with the French dining experience; good pate's, good wines, but overall a very limited cuisine ('pour a creamy sauce over it') compared to the vibrant, refreshing, delightful Italian cuisine. The best meals we had were pasta dishes, obviously 'borrowed' from the neighboring Italy.

"Does this relate to what my English roomie once told me: it truly turned her stomach to see syrup or jam on the same plate as a cooked breakfast meat, she said no one in England would think of eating them together" <BR> <BR>This made me chuckle. I can remember having breakfast with my husband when we first went to the US. I ordered hotcakes and he ordered french toast and bacon. Two little jugs of syrup arrived on the table and my husband wondered why two. I told him that one was to go on his french toast and bacon and he WOULDN'T believe me. <BR>I remember visiting an American couple and took them a jar of Oxford marmalade. The husband promptly put a large dollop on the side of his plate and ate it with his meat and veg. We pretended not to see anything wrong, it was like that scene from "To kill a mocking bird." <BR>As for full English or rather Scottish breakfasts. We were in a nice little Highland hotel with a superb breakfast menu. An American couple at the next table "yukked" their way through every item. The waitress was the daughter-in-law of the owners and I can imagine what she thought. They would only eat toast and coffee. <BR>The next morning we tucked into a splendid breakfast with local eggs, bacon and sausages. The bacon was wonderful, more like gammon than back and was almost all meat, little fat and done to a turn. <BR>We noticed that quite a pleasant American couple were eating streaky bacon and when they'd left my Scottish husband asked if we were getting preferential treatment. The waitress grinned and said that the chef was an irascible type and refused to "waste" decent bacon on Americans because they always wanted it cooked to a frazzle. He always gave them streaky bacon from the supermarket in the same town. I think he might have given the poor souls a choice, but that's chefs for you!

As so often on this forum a question has become the excuse for silly remarks about British food. <BR>Yes, if you go to a chain or a cheap eatery especially in a tourist area you will get poor food, but every town, city and sometimes village will have excellent places to eat. <BR>That said, have a look at Helen's British cookery site at http://www.hwatson.force9.co.uk/ <BR>for traditional recipes and visit the splendidly named "2 eggs, sausage, beans, tomatoes, <BR>2 toast, large tea, cheerslove!" <BR>website at http://cheerslove.org/ <BR> <BR>It is a celebration of the great English breakfast with hints of where and where not to go to get a good breakfast.

English breakfast is the best meal going. Fried eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, fried slice of bread, black pudding. It's gorgeous. Why you americans are so repulsed by it i'll never know. If the McDonalds breakfast is anything to go by, then you seem to like your food bland and smelling of fat. I do however have very fond memories of Pancakes in the US from a past trip. Even to the point of getting Bisquik sent home by an American friend (although you can buy it the UK now). If you don't like your first english breakfast, please try again. Like all food in all countries, if you get a bad one, it can be pretty sick.

It is almost time for lunch and this site has really made me hungry. The English Breakfast sounds good right now! Even the beans. I saw these the last time we were in England but did not give them a try,next time I will. By the way, grits are always served here in the South for breakfast and many folks not from the South turn their nose up at that selection! To each their own!

funny topic.

TTT: oldies and goodies for foodies.

For Americans feeling superior about all this...

A decade or so ago, I was involved (together with an Abe Lincoln lookalike!)in the Grand Opening of a convenience store in deep Kentucky. The local radio station ran an associated phone-in contest for listeners to choose between healthy and unhealthy breakfasts.

The unhealthy breakfast was a candy bar and a mug of coffee. The healthy one was the store's special (=extra big)burger...and a mug of coffee.

Sadly, we had to move on to improve the lives of the next town before ever finding out which won. Or which Abe voted for.

But I understand the local cardiologist was one of the wealthiest men in town.

I think I can remember (creak of rocking chair) when baked beans made their first appearance in the &quot;full English&quot;. We were offered them in a small hotel and when I questioned the waitress she said that it was because of the F Plan diet (remember that). You had to eat as much fibre as possible and baked beans are very rich in fibre.
I must admit that I don't order them, but a grilled tomato can be very nice if it's a fresh one.
BTW, we stay in a super hotel in the Highlands sometimes where the food is magnificent and they offer sliced haggis as part of the &quot;full Scottish&quot;.
Very nice it is too. As others have said, be adventurous. You may be pleasantly surprised. I never autonatically say &quot;yuk&quot; to any food. After all I enjoy eating slabs of elderly solidified milk.

Jurgen:


I don't think any of us in American would consider our &quot;traditional&quot; breakfast healthy. They are, for the most part, decidedly UNHEALTHY.

The worldwide obesity epidemic (admittedly rampant in the U.S.) is multifactorial and is certainly in part due to the fat content of the American diet but also our increasingly sedentary lifestyles. We eat like we are in the 19th century (agricultural economy, farm work, physical labor) but live in the 21st century (desk jobs, computers, remote controls).

I don't think any of us would assert that what the world considers a traditional &quot;American breakfast&quot; - whether it's pancakes, sausage, eggs, or waffles - is &quot;healthy.&quot;

Cheers,

Ron

I've read some very strange comments on this thread and have to wonder where on earth in England these folks have been to. &quot;&quot;English not very big on eating green veg&quot; - funny, that's what I thought about Americans after travelling extensively in the US! And as for ladies in the north-east starting the day with a half-pint of lager!!!!!! That's a new one to me and I've lived here all my life. I think it all boils down to the fact that there are good and bad places to eat everywhere, the problem is finding the good ones when you're travelling.

Hi
There's a saying in the UK that to dine well in England you need to eat breakfast 3 times a day. Think some of the posters disagree with this!!A well cooked English breakfast can be wonderful but plenty of potential to go badly wrong though! I've just spent a month's holiday in America and sampled many &quot;American breakfasts&quot;. Grits? Maple sauce? Different - but I love to try everything! It's part of the experience of travelling. My American friend made me raspberry pancakes served with crispy bacon for breakfast - fabulous!

I suspect - no, dammit, I know - that a fair number of hotels fail at 'the full English', and not just the downmarket ones. The main problem is cutting corners (horrible tinned plum tomatoes instead of grilled fresh ones, and trying to keep the food on a buffet - even scrambled eggs, for heavens' sake). To do it well, it has to be done for each person and served immediately (and neither baked beans nor chips really belong). But it is still a week's worth of fat and carbohydrate for sedentary moderns.

The best places to get a proper english breakfast:

The first class dining car of a train (really)

Simpsons in the strand - order the &quot;seven deadly sins&quot; and wash it down with a glass of champagne, black velvet or guiness. Don't make plans for the rest of the day.

and lastly and bestly....

Go to the Fox and Anchor in smithfield and have breakfast with the porters from the meat market (the pub opens at 6am). This is the best breakfast in London.

And all you philistines who are dissing the great british breakfast....try these and be converted.

Also the cooked breakfast is making a bit of a comeback on the back of the Atkins diet