Planning to surprise your visiting English friend with a complete English breakfast? Read on to learn how to serve an English breakfast to perfection and win anyone’s heart.

What is an English breakfast?

A traditional full English breakfast spans across several courses in the following order:

    A starter such as a fruit juice or fruits

    The main course comprising of eggs, bacon etc.

    An English breakfast tea, served with toast and marmalade(optional)

Sometimes, the main course accompanied with English breakfast tea may be referred to as an English breakfast. 

Primary Components of an English breakfast

Starter:  An Orange, pomegranate or grape juice may be served as a starter. 

Main Course: The main course of an English breakfast primarily includes the following dishes:

    Bacon

    Eggs

    Sausages

    Baked beans

    Mushrooms and Tomatoes

    Fried Bread

How to serve the constituent dishes

Serving English breakfast depends on personal preferences and health concerns. Some of the options available while serving the dishes are:

Bacon: Usually 1-2 bacon rashers are served on one English breakfast plate. Many people prefer smoked bacon as they are considered healthier. A toaster or a grill is usually used to cook the bacon and the bacon served should have an even shade of golden brown. The bacon is served hot.

Eggs:  It is advisable to cook the eggs while the bacon or the sausages are being grilled. Around 1-2 eggs are served on a plate of English breakfast. The eggs may be served fried or poached. Poached eggs are considered lightweight and healthier than the fried version.

Sausages: Among all the constituent dishes, sausages take the maximum time. So it is advisable, to start the cooking with sausages and prepare other dishes simultaneously. One should take care to cook the sausage evenly on all sides. Usually 1-2 sausages may be served on a plate.

Baked Beans: Around 150 grams or fresh or canned beans may be used for serving in an English breakfast. The beans may be baked in a microwave. If some people prefer fried beans, then the beans should be cooked in a saucepan with oil.

Mushrooms and Tomatoes: Around 100 grams of mushrooms, washed and sliced are served per serving. The mushrooms are lightly fried in a saucepan. Usually 1-2 tomatoes are served in one plate of English breakfast. The tomatoes are cut into halves or in four pieces and lightly fried on both sides in a saucepan.

Fried Bread: Usually 1-2 pieces of bread lightly toasted using margarine or butter is served. 

An assortment of condiments such as muffins, jam, ketchup, butter, fresh fruits etc. may also be served along with the traditional main course.

English breakfast tea: English breakfast tea is a black tea which is usually prepared from a blend of teas such as Assam, Kenyan or Ceylon teas. Milk and sugar may be added as an option to the Black tea.

It is very easy to learn how to serve an English breakfast in a perfect manner and serving English breakfast on a weekend is one of the best ways to start your weekend.

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