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My favourite breakfast is full English, without tomatoes. What's yours?

I like a full English too, but tomatoes have to be involved in some way. Fresh tomatoes grilled are the best way to go, but I'll have tinned if that's all there is. Also, mushrooms are essential.

Your tomato-based wrongheadedness is frankly astonishing, however.

Surely there's room for a slice of black pudding somewhere? (with apologies to veggies)

Mike (who may have to change his vote )

With you on the mushrooms, but I can find no redeeming features of the tomato.

Gotta say I can't find room for mushrooms in my breakfast. I don't mind tomatoes that much though.

Big question is- fried, poached or scrambled?

Everyone knows fried is best.

Pancakes.

If I'm preparing it myself, as I do most days. then it's boring old Weetabix, toast and marmalade, and black coffee.

If my wife's preparing it, just the same, except without the Weetabix.

In a hotel though, it's porridge, bacon and egg, with, as some others have said, mushrooms.

I'm on the pro tomatoes and mushroom side of things but like Howard I'm a Weetabix kinda guy cause its uninvolved. Though this morning my mum gave me GOATS MILK on it. Eugghh! Also my morning drink is hot ribena. Anyone?

Dinos

I don't have a breakfast anymore to be honest.

Joseph.

Bacon, egg, two slices of buttered toast as a basis, then an informal rota of added extras for variety and interest.

Sausages have to be real - pig guts for skin, and plenty of coarse-chopped pork as a filling.

The occasional lamb's kidney, and mushrooms fried for no more than three minutes, while the toast browns.

Then the whole is eaten in a ritual fashion with which you will not wish to be troubled.

Bacon, Sausages, Egg (Poached/Scrambled/Fried), Fried Bread, Beans, Mushrooms, Hash Browns, Black Pudding.

Beans, beans, beans, only-just-cooked bacon, sausages, perfectly cooked (not frazzled) fried egg, or maybe scrambled, lightly-done toast. That covers it, although when I eat the all-day breakfast in my local, I get chips and fried onions as well, and maybe a fried plum tomato.

I am a veggie, albeit one who misses almost raw red meat, so I have to give the full English/Irish/Ulster fry the thumbs down even though I did love them when I ate meat. I would now have to plump for 'French toast' which makes you rather plump.

David

I never knew you were a veggie, Dave. How did a red-blooded male like you get go over to the salady side?

I was writing a paper a few years ago debating the moral obligation not to eat meat and ended up convincing myself it was wrong. I wished I'd never bothered

If I'm having breakfast it means I got up in the morning, which means something has gone horribly, horribly wrong...

I will very rarely eat in the mornings unless I was staying in a hotel. I would just have 1 or 2 cups of coffee depending on time.

Conor wrote:Pancakes.

You HAVE to go to My Old Dutch Pancake House in Holborn for breakfast or brunch sometime. Seriously mate, you will never look back.

Get one of their milkshakes as well. It's the definition of orgasmic.

I seem to have a real odd assortment for breakfast, mainly depending on whether I've got up early enough. Half a tin of Heinz Beans & Sausages is quite common (used to be the whole tin, until I realised it was 2/3 of the daily guideline for salt), but I often have soup for breakfast. Cold meat or tinned fish as well. I try to have some fruit or veg - half a tin of pineapple seems to be a common one.

If I was having it cooked for me: bacon, sausages, hash browns, mushrooms, a few beans, orange juice, toast. Maybe fried egg white, but I can't stand yolks.

Martin Smith wrote:I seem to have a real odd assortment for breakfast, mainly depending on whether I've got up early enough. Half a tin of Heinz Beans & Sausages is quite common (used to be the whole tin, until I realised it was 2/3 of the daily guideline for salt), but I often have soup for breakfast. Cold meat or tinned fish as well. I try to have some fruit or veg - half a tin of pineapple seems to be a common one.

If I was having it cooked for me: bacon, sausages, hash browns, mushrooms, a few beans, orange juice, toast. Maybe fried egg white, but I can't stand yolks.

I remember when I was little, sneaking downstairs during the middle of the night and eating a tin of beans cold. I also did sugar butties too.

I used to like fry-ups, but because I am trying to watch my weight, I will only eat black pudding (done in the George Forman) and a runny fried egg yolk (don't like fried egg white) as my idea of a fried breakfast (and then I only have it at tea and not brekkie).

I have gone of food that is deep fat fried so if I was to have sausages too (if I had them in), it would be in a George Forman grill.

Dead babies

Ginger Jono wrote:Dead babies

Fried or scrambled?

Joseph Bolas wrote:I used to like fry-ups, but because I am trying to watch my weight, I will only eat black pudding (done in the George Forman)....if I was to have sausages too (if I had them in), it would be in a George Forman grill.

I am intrigued by this line of products that you mention. Do you have any informative pamphlets that I could peruse at my leisure?

jimbentley wrote:

Joseph Bolas wrote:I used to like fry-ups, but because I am trying to watch my weight, I will only eat black pudding (done in the George Forman)....if I was to have sausages too (if I had them in), it would be in a George Forman grill.

I am intrigued by this line of products that you mention. Do you have any informative pamphlets that I could peruse at my leisure?

If interested in George Forman grills, the best place to get info on them, is http://igrillwithgeorge.com/

"I've got a George Foreman grill
I've got a George Foreman grill
If you won't cook my breakfast,
George ..... Foreman will."

Pancakes - no question. Looking forward to tomorrow!!!!!

Joseph Bolas wrote:

jimbentley wrote:

Joseph Bolas wrote:I used to like fry-ups, but because I am trying to watch my weight, I will only eat black pudding (done in the George Forman)....if I was to have sausages too (if I had them in), it would be in a George Forman grill.

I am intrigued by this line of products that you mention. Do you have any informative pamphlets that I could peruse at my leisure?

If interested in George Forman grills, the best place to get info on them, is http://igrillwithgeorge.com/

Haha. Brilliant. Oh, and crumpets.

Matt Morrison wrote:crumpets

For breakfast? Crumpets are a teatime comestible, for goodness' sake. What on earth is wrong with you?

To answer the OP: my favourite breakfast is undoubtedly full English (and I'm with Charlie on the no-tomatoes thing). Sausage; bacon, not overcooked but with the fat crisp (there's a knack); beans; fried bread (yum); and fried eggs, basted so the tops cook properly but the yolk stays runny for you to dip your bread in. Mushrooms and black pudding optional. Ketchup the condiment of choice, although brown sauce makes a nice change occasionally. Hot strong tea. Heaven.

However, while it might be my favourite, the effort involved in preparation dictates that the above is reserved for an occasional treat (just as well, given the calorific intake and saturated fat levels involved). My usual daily breakfast used to be heavily refined cereal of some variety or another, until HWMBO and I got into eating a low GI diet a couple of years ago, since when porridge has become the norm in our household. Mind you, for a really tasty and satisfying breakfast, it has to be Jordan's Jumbo Conservation Grade Oats. In Cornwall last week, the nearest food store to our holiday cottage sold only Quaker Oats, which were disgusting. The hot gritty slurry made from them reminded me of eating Ready Brek as a child.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHxcOxUdmL4
Unfortunately restricted to one per week as I'm not yet tired of life.

No pancakes, no beans. All the rest by the shovelful.

Crumpets, English Muffins or buttered toast will do for me.

Most mornings I have two soft boiled (4 min 15 second) eggs. I eat them in my room to avoid smelling anyone else's toast - which I crave but have to watch the carbs. I peel the top (never do that slicing the top off thing) and eat one egg. Then I eat the top of the second egg to reveal the yoke, which I then transfer into the empty shell of the first. (If I was having toast, I'd instead spread it onto that - cooled and liberally buttered) I eat the white of egg no 2 and then am able to go back to shell no 1 to eat the yoke of egg no 2 thus ensuring that I finish on yokey taste not whitey taste. The whole experience is enhanced by the recent discovery of herbamare seasoned salt.


I do not have OCD.

Sue Sanders wrote:toast - which I crave but have to watch the carbs

Then eat toast made from stoneground wholemeal bread. The "stoneground" bit is important as it means the flour is less refined; this makes it higher in fibre and lowers its GI. You still don't want to be eating it in vast quantities, but the occasional slice will do you no harm at all and may actually help you lose weight since low GI foods not only keep you feeling fuller for longer, but also help to stabilise your body's insulin levels so that less of the energy released from your food is stored as fat.

At home - juice (usually orange or grapefruit), then a banana, sliced with bran & cornflakes. Tea & toast come later, as a mid-morning snack.
Hotel - grapefruit; then scrambled egg, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, tomato and sometimes a hash brown; might finish with a croissant or toast. Then I won't need to buy any lunch

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:toast - which I crave but have to watch the carbs

Then eat toast made from stoneground wholemeal bread. The "stoneground" bit is important as it means the flour is less refined; this makes it higher in fibre and lowers its GI. You still don't want to be eating it in vast quantities, but the occasional slice will do you no harm at all and may actually help you lose weight since low GI foods not only keep you feeling fuller for longer, but also help to stabilise your body's insulin levels so that less of the energy released from your food is stored as fat.

I did do low GI for a while. In fact, having been permanently watching my weight since the age of 11 (when Mum took me to slimming club) I've an understanding of all the different food group avoiding/combining diets. I love my food, love cooking, love feeding people, and the big struggle, don't have to be hungry to want to eat .Though actually, I really like being a voluptous woman with very curvy curves. I just know that, left unchecked my weight goes up very quickly. Never having suffered with lack of confidence (the opposite in fact, I'm a bit of a 'big is beautiful' campaigner) the enjoyment of eating dissolves the willpower. You know you're on a hiding to nothing when you start the day doing 'low fat', do a low GI lunch and finish the day on 'Atkins'!! Oh, and on a telly programme about 'fat genes', (something that research discovered some 2 years ago) I was one of the people whose DNA was tested and I have one fat gene. Not an excuse I know - but sometimes is such a pain in the arse fighting a permanent, long term, life lasting battle. One thing I will always argue - people (probably because of the multi-million pound 'healthy food' industry) place too much emphasise on 'low fat'. Personally, my best control is low carb in some form - not least because I love my meat. Put me inside a cow and I'll eat my way out!

However, thanks for your advice Phil - much appreciated that you took the time to post it.

Sue Sanders wrote:Put me inside a cow and I'll eat my way out!

I've used that as a chat-up line before!

Derek Hazell wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:Put me inside a cow and I'll eat my way out!

I've used that as a chat-up line before!

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! (Laughing tortology going on there)

Sue Sanders wrote:You know you're on a hiding to nothing when you start the day doing 'low fat', do a low GI lunch and finish the day on 'Atkins'!!

Indeed. No one diet regime is going to do you much good if you don't stick to it, especially if you mix and match it with proprietary fad diets like Atkins.

One thing I will always argue - people (probably because of the multi-million pound 'healthy food' industry) place too much emphasise on 'low fat'.

Well, depends what you mean by "too much" emphasis. If you're talking about weight control, then I agree - carbohydrate intake has much more effect on our weight than fat does. However, a diet that's high in saturated fat will definitely lead to increased risk of all kinds of other health problems such as heart disease and stroke. This is why the Atkins "diet" is so misleading, if not downright dangerous.

Personally, my best control is low carb in some form

If you're inclined to eat for the sheer enjoyment of it even when you're not hungry, then I can appreciate that cutting down on all carbs is probably a good idea, even the low GI ones, since what really matters is the GL (glycaemic load) which you get by multiplying the GI of a food by the amount consumed. If you enjoy your food and like being "voluptuous" (what a great word!), then more power to you. What matters is, first, health, and second, self-esteem - get those two right and how much you actually weigh becomes irrelevant. Do whatever you need to do to keep your weight at a level you're comfortable with and watch your saturated fat intake and you've gone a long way to achieving both those goals.

Charlie Reams wrote:I never knew you were a veggie, Dave. How did a red-blooded male like you get go over to the salady side?

Less than one year later and I am completely off the wagon - screw those veggie scum!

Sue Sanders wrote:HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! (Laughing tortology going on there)

I thought only lawyers did tortology.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! (Laughing tortology going on there)

I thought only lawyers did tortology.

TAUTOLOGY!!!! (blimey, I've been incorrectly mis-spelling that wrong over and over again very many times)

Phil Reynolds wrote:

Sue Sanders wrote:You know you're on a hiding to nothing when you start the day doing 'low fat', do a low GI lunch and finish the day on 'Atkins'!!

Indeed. No one diet regime is going to do you much good if you don't stick to it, especially if you mix and match it with proprietary fad diets like Atkins.

I tend to call a high protein diet 'Atkins' but have never done Atkins (my tall, skinny sister does it obsessively. I keep telling her she looks awful because she's too thin but she's someone who puts great score by being a size 8). I prefer to think of it as the 'steak and salad' diet because any regime that discourages fruit, salad and veggies for 2 weeks at a time has to be suspect.

I usually have three Weetabix and honey (I finally found a type of honey I like). Sometimes toast if there's bread in, and if I'm really hungry, I'll have an all-day breakfast at my regular boozer.

It's rare to get properly cooked breakfast stuff. Bacon should be totally uncrinkly, as should the fried egg. If scrambled egg instead, this should be unwatery with pepper added. Lots of beans, toast and butter, and no tomato unless it's a skinned plum tom. Don't like potato scones, nor fried bread, nor black pudding, so to fill up my quota of items, I'll have fried onions and chips. Yum.

The Raffles Cafe at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas does a great Eggs Benedict.

[quote="Ian Volante"]If scrambled egg instead, this should be unwatery

The secret to great scrambled egg is for no milk to be added to the mix. Its just butter/marg and eggs. All that milk will do is leave your scrambled egg sitting in a pool of liquid. And don't be snobbish about doing them in the microwave. As long as you stir a few times during cooking and, most importantly, STOP cooking them when they look slightly underdone/still wet as the cooking process carries on and they firm up.

I've challenged a few friends to an 'egg off' and always convert them!

(Yeah, I know - I'm still failing to master this quotes thing - so you can imagine how frustrating I've found Apterous!)

Sue Sanders wrote:The secret to great scrambled egg is for no milk to be added to the mix. Its just butter/marg and eggs. All that milk will do is leave your scrambled egg sitting in a pool of liquid. And don't be snobbish about doing them in the microwave. As long as you stir a few times during cooking and, most importantly, STOP cooking them when they look slightly underdone/still wet as the cooking process carries on and they firm up.

I totally agree with all of this. Microwaved scrambled eggs are totally awesome, but it's so easy to go too far. It can only be a few seconds, but it's the difference between amazing scrambled eggs and slightly leathery scrambled eggs. It's a lot easier to guage the cookedness in a pan, but that's quite difficult too and would also mean that I'd have to wash a pan, which is always a bit of an arseache.

JimBentley wrote:I'd have to wash a pan, which is always a bit of an arseache.

...how do you wash pans?

By rubbing them frenziedly on my arse, of course. Doesn't everyone?

Anything some other bugger cooks - I run a B&B! Top tip though Sue - I shall try that - thanks

For your gastronomic pleasure, though, we serve British bacon, free range eggs, butchers' sausages, beans, organically home-grown tomatoes, and hash browns. Vegetarian and vegan alternatives are available. Also ranges of cereals, fresh fruits, fruit juices, teas and fresh coffees, and white, brown or granary toast with home-made preserves made from home-grown fruit. Seasonal variants are served too (e.g. pancakes for 4 July, croissants for 14 July etc.).

I haven't eaten breakfast for years

For those of you wondering where the mushrooms are: they're sick and wrong and give me the heebie-jeebies. Their biology's all wrong, and they squeak. (IMVHO) We don't serve 'em

Sue Sanders wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:If scrambled egg instead, this should be unwatery

The secret to great scrambled egg is for no milk to be added to the mix. Its just butter/marg and eggs.
(Yeah, I know - I'm still failing to master this quotes thing - so you can imagine how frustrating I've found Apterous!)

I agree about milk, I never did that, although recently have been partly converted and have not found it difficult to make the eggs non-liquidy. It's all in the wrist.

And how could I forgot sausages? A couple of them too of course, they're designed for yolk-dipping.

And Sue, stop deleting the final "/quote"!

I like Orange juice as a drink, but I like bacon, Fried eggs, Toast, Beans and brown sauce

I'm surprised I didn't post in this at the time. I like all-you-can-eat hotel breakfasts. I normally start with some sort of cereal, and then move onto the cooked breakfast and have most of the vegetarian stuff that's on offer. Then croissants with marmalade/jam and finally fruit, which is all the better if it has melon in. Orange juice is a good drink to have it with.

Sometimes I do vegan fry-ups at home, with fried "bacon", "black pudding" and fried bread as the main characters.

But normally for breakfast I just have Weetabix, and maybe Oatibix as well.

Jon O'Neill wrote: ↑Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:51 pmDead babies

Nowadays I'm more of a muesli person, if I eat breakfast at all.

Charlie Reams wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:48 pm I never knew you were a veggie, Dave. How did a red-blooded male like you get go over to the salady side?

Salady side indeed. Being vegetarian doesn't turn you into a rabbit!

Got to be scrambled eggs on pugliese bread with sliced smoked salmon

If I have time and can be arsed, I'll make/devour one of:

- eggs and chopped tomatoes with chorizo and chilli flakes
- Lebanese scrambled eggs (with cumin and chilli)
- fried eggs with pitta bread and onions

(Massively craving eggs atm.) If I can be super arsed, Eggs Benedict, although poaching eggs AND doing Hollandaise simultaneously is so awkward to balance. If I can't be arsed, I'll grab a yoghurt/granola thingy from Tesco Express before work, or just skip breakfast.

Can't be doing with a fried breakfast - not sure why, because I can stomach cake or reheated pizza/Chinese for breakfast if I'm feeling gluttonous, but the thought of fried food in the morning makes me want to boke. Plus full Englishes usually have vommy things on them like those enormous mushrooms, fried tomatoes and baked beans.

The only questionable things on a full English is fried bread and also chips, I can't understand having chips for brekkie although I don't mind d a hash brown.