The full English breakfast — sausages, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, black pudding, fried bread and eggs, each cooked just right and served together. The ultimate weekend fry-up.
There's nothing quite like a proper full English breakfast — sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and black pudding all sizzling together on one plate. The trick is timing, so everything lands hot and fresh at once, and this method walks you through it step by step. It's the ultimate weekend treat and a guaranteed cure for a slow morning.
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Total 35 min
Medium
- 2 Sausages
- 3 Bacon
- 2 Mushrooms
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1 Slice Black Pudding
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Slice Bread
Tags:
BreakfastVideo
Preparation
- Heat a flat grill plate over low heat (over two rings if it fits) and brush sparingly with light olive oil.
- Cook the sausages first: add them to the hot plate (the coolest part if there is one) and cook slowly for 15–20 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden. After the first 10 minutes, increase the heat to medium before starting the other ingredients (or fully cook the sausages and keep them hot in the oven if space is tight).
- Snip a few cuts into the fatty edge of the bacon, then fry on the plate for 2–4 minutes each side to your preferred crispiness, keeping it warm in the oven if needed.
- For the mushrooms, brush off any dirt and trim the stalks level. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil, then cook stalk-side up for 1–2 minutes before turning and cooking for a further 3–4 minutes, avoiding moving them too much so they don't go soggy.
- For the tomatoes, halve them, remove the green 'eye', season and drizzle with oil. Cook cut-side down without moving for 2 minutes, then turn, season again, and cook for a further 2–3 minutes until tender but still holding their shape.
- For the black pudding, cut into 3–4 slices, remove the skin, and cook on the plate for 1½–2 minutes each side until slightly crispy.
- For proper fried bread, use bread a couple of days old. Heat a frying pan to medium, cover the base with oil, and fry the bread for 2–3 minutes each side until crisp and golden, adding more oil if it dries out and a knob of butter after turning for richer flavour.
- For the eggs, crack straight into the pan with the fried bread, leave for 30 seconds, add a knob of butter and baste the egg as it melts. Cook to your liking, season, and remove gently with a fish slice.
- Serve everything on warm plates straight away, with ketchup or brown sauce.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Start the sausages first — they take the longest, so give them a 10-minute head start before anything else hits the heat.
- Use bread that's a day or two old for fried bread; fresh bread soaks up oil and turns greasy.
- Keep cooked items warm in a low oven while you finish the rest, so nothing goes cold waiting.
- Baste the eggs with hot butter rather than flipping them for soft yolks and crisp edges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cook in order of how long each item takes: sausages first, then bacon and black pudding, then mushrooms and tomatoes, with eggs and fried bread last. Hold finished items in a warm oven.
Grill or bake the sausages and bacon instead of frying, swap fried bread for toast, and add grilled tomatoes and mushrooms with just a light brush of oil.
Simply leave it out, or add baked beans, hash browns or bubble and squeak — all are common additions to a full English.
Moving them around too much makes them release water and steam. Leave them undisturbed to colour, and don't crowd the pan.
