What's the difference between a full English breakfast and Scottish breakfast?
A brief history of the full breakfast
Across Britain and Ireland, the full breakfast is said to date back to the 13th century. It was reserved for the gentry, or upper classes, who were well-versed in breakfast feasts.
Throughout the Victorian era, the full breakfast enjoyed ever increasing popularity in a simplified version of those enjoyed by the wealthy upper class. It was more affordable and could be prepared and eaten in a shorter time before work.
By the 1950s, the full breakfast had become a staple of the working class too. Around this time, refrigerators became affordable enough for most people to own one, making food storage and preparation even easier.
Nowadays, you can enjoy this hearty morning feast as a pub breakfast, which even appears as an all-day option on countless pub menus across the UK. So, if you fancy a full breakfast at a pub near you, you’re in luck.
What's in a full English breakfast?
While there’s no fixed set of ingredients, a full English breakfast usually consists of sizzling bacon with fried, scrambled or poached eggs. You’ll find grilled tomatoes, bursting with sweetness, along with buttery toast and plump sausages.
Black pudding, baked beans and hash browns will often top off the dish. This morning feast is usually accompanied by a hot cup of tea or coffee, or a nice cold fruit juice.
A full English is commonly referred to in the UK as a ‘fry up’. Although sometimes you’ll hear somebody ask for a ‘full Monty’ instead. This term is said to come from British Army general Bernard Montgomery - Monty – who supposedly began every day with a full English while serving in World War II.
What's in a full Scottish breakfast?
A full Scottish breakfast is full of robust flavours that reflect Scotland’s culinary history.
Fancy a tasty Scottish breakfast near you? You’ll sit down to hearty slices of Ayrshire middle bacon, eggs and Lorne sausage. This is a flat, square sausage traditionally made from minced beef, breadcrumbs and spices.
Add in some thick slices of Scottish style black pudding, some haggis, and don’t forget the tattie scones – crisp yet fluffy potato cakes – to top off this generous morning treat.
What about a full Welsh breakfast?
The full Welsh breakfast contains much the same ingredients and flavour profile, with two distinct additions. These are cockles and laverbread.
Cockles are a type of mollusc, and they were traditionally served to Welsh miners for breakfast with bacon and fried laver, or laverbread. You’d be forgiven for thinking that laverbread is a type of bread. It’s actually made from seaweed commonly found around the UK’s west coast.
It’s been eaten in Wales since the 17th century, and is washed, before being boiled down into a soft puree. It’s then often coated in oatmeal before frying, to accompany the cockles, bacon and all the other fantastic flavours of this traditional breakfast feast.
And a full Irish breakfast?
A full Irish includes the same well-loved ingredients, but also includes soda bread. This is a type of quick bread that’s made with baking soda instead of yeast. The Irish also add in white or black pudding.
Another interesting addition is bubble and squeak. It’s an Irish dish made from potatoes, cabbage and sometimes ham or bacon. It’s traditionally made from the leftovers of a Sunday dinner, or on Boxing Day after the big Christmas Day feast.
In Ulster, which is the northern province of Ireland, they have their own version of a full Irish, known as an Ulster Fry. They often add in tatie bread, which is as its name suggests, potato bread or cakes. They’re shallow fried on both sides, and served with a light dusting of flour.
Why are they called fry ups?
The full English breakfast is also called a ‘fry up’, for the simple reason that most of the ingredients that make it up are fried.
Its name grew as the meal was increasingly seen as a more indulgent alternative to the healthier ‘continental’ breakfasts of pastries and fruit juices offered to tourists visiting Britain.
A pub breakfast staple
Whether you're on the hunt for a classic full English breakfast near you or a robust full Scottish, these morning treats are a wonderful way to start the day.
So, why not indulge in a delicious pub breakfast near you? Head over to your nearest Farmhouse Inn and get stuck into a morning feast that will leave you satisfied and ready to attack the day.