The Full English Breakfast: History of a British Tradition

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and starting the morning with a hearty meal starts the day off on the right foot. One of the most iconic breakfasts is the Full English, also known as the fry-up. This large, satisfying meal has become a staple part of British cuisine. While the exact origins are somewhat obscure, for those who indulge in its fried, greasy goodness, the history of the Full English can be a point of pride.

There is no official makeup of the Full English, with individuals making adjustments to the dish based on the availability of the ingredients, regional differences, and personal preference. It has been served in private homes, low-end pubs and dining establishments, high-priced restaurants, and everything in between. With such a wide variety of places to be served a Full English, variation in both content and quality is inevitable.

Generally, a Full English is a heavy and hearty fried dish centered around meat. Typically, the meal consists of sausages, bacon, and black pudding, a type of blood sausage, as well as eggs, which are usually fried, baked beans, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, and toasted or fried bread. It is important to note that traditional British bacon differs from bacon found in the United States. It is made from pork loin rather than pork belly and, therefore, is a much leaner cut of meat than its American counterpart.

Other ingredients can also be used, depending on the chef’s or diner’s tastes. Some high-end restaurants add elements such as grilled bone marrow or work in fusion cuisine, incorporating Indian and other flavors into the dish. Some versions also use fried potatoes, such as hash browns, though purists say that this is too American of an addition. This is usually washed down with a hot, caffeinated beverage, such as coffee or tea, though it can be served with orange juice as well.

There are regional variants that have been inspired by the Full English. The Full Welsh is a breakfast that is similar to the Full English, but also adds cockles, a type of shellfish, and laverbread, which is made from oats and seaweed. The Full Scottish also has similar ingredients but can also contain haggis, Lorne sausage, also known as square sausage, which is a caseless sausage mixed with spices, and tattie scones, which are made from flour and mashed potatoes. In Ireland, the Full Irish is made with white pudding, soda bread, potato farls, a type of flatbread, and boxty, a potato pancake. Many other variants can change the exact makeup of the dish based on regional tradition.

The calories in a Full English are high, to say the least, sometimes representing an entire day’s caloric intake in a single meal. As a result, it is not regularly consumed. You might get a Full English on special occasions or be served in a much stripped-down version of the meal.

During the Middle Ages, breakfasts in England among the lower classes were simple affairs. They were very carbohydrate-heavy, consisting of porridge, bread, fruit, and perhaps some cheese, and maybe leftovers from the night before. These were inexpensive and easy to prepare and were eaten quickly before the worker began their day of labor. For the upper classes, the meal was much more substantial, likely involving meat of some kind. These class distinctions were exacerbated after the Norman conquest, where the French-speaking Normans ruled over the Old English-speaking Saxon populace.

Upper class Anglo-Saxons wanted to preserve their cultural traditions as best they could while under Norman domination, which included culinary traditions. Somewhere along the way, the idea of breakfast as a special meal became something worth preserving, even if the exact makeup of this meal shifted over the centuries. By the 13th century, the distinction between Norman and Saxon was a thing of the past, but many nobles, particularly the rising gentry, believed themselves to be the heirs of the Saxon tradition. They sought to maintain these traditions, even if the exact reasoning behind it was lost to time.

There were also more pragmatic reasons for the emphasis on an expansive breakfast. First, it was a way to show off wealth and status. It was a way to demonstrate the quality of the produce and livestock grown on the noble’s land, and exquisite dishes with these ingredients showed the skill of chefs hired by the nobleman. At the same time, hunting and day-long rides and hikes through the countryside were common pastimes. The aristocrats would fill up on a large meal for energy before setting out. This tradition continued from the Middle Ages through the modern era until the industrial age, becoming more refined with each passing generation.

By the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution in Britain was in full swing, and the previous social structure shifted. During the reign of Queen Victoria, the landed aristocracy was replaced with industrialists and business owners. These nouveau riche modeled their behavior on the gentry that they were slowly replacing, and large breakfasts were a major part of this. Once again, a lavish breakfast was a way to demonstrate both wealth and social refinement. It was a way for the wealthy to differentiate themselves from the lower classes, who still ate porridge and bread as the first meal of the day.

During the Edwardian era, upper-class Brits began to standardize the Full English into the form that it is known today. This era was famous for its emphasis on leisure among the wealthy, and breakfast was no exception. On both country estates and on luxury travel such as trains or cruise ships, the morning meal was served over the span of several hours, both to allow the diners to wander in when they wished and to give the kitchen staff and servants some time to eat as well, or not be tied up waiting for their guests to saunter in. As a result, the morning meal would generally be self-service, the food available being something that can be cooked ahead of time and left unattended on a hot tray.

This need for easy-to-prepare, hearty, and hot-tray stable foods led to the inclusion of sausages, bacon, black pudding, eggs, beans, grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, toast, and other ingredients that are regarded as typical of the Full English. Over time, these became the standard by which all Full English breakfasts were made.

Starting in the Victorian era, the industrialization of Britain led to the rise of the middle class, which was better off financially than the working poor but by no means considered wealthy. Initially, members of this new social class still ate what the lower class did, mostly bread, porridge, and eggs or meat on holidays or special occasions as a rare treat. As time went on, however, those of middle income were increasingly able to afford more lavish meals, and breakfast was no exception. This was aided by the standardization of the components, which made finding the separate ingredients simpler and, therefore, much easier to acquire.

As has been the case for millennia, the lower classes did their best to imitate the customs and practices of the upper crust. By this time, the Full English, or some variation, was an established part of the upper-class lifestyle, and the emerging middle class adopted it as much as possible. Cookbooks from the era began to contain recipes for Full English breakfasts, or at the very least, simplified versions that were more affordable to the masses.

As the 20th century wore on, advances in transportation and refrigeration technology made the shipping and storage of perishable foodstuffs much easier and more effective than had been possible in previous eras. At the same time, there was a dramatic increase in the implementation of industrial farming. Now, for the first time in history, meat, dairy, eggs, and other foods that were once reserved for the wealthy and considered too costly for anything other than special occasions were readily available. By the 1950s, all but the poorest members of society had access to the types of food that made up the Full English breakfast. As had been the case in previous centuries, the special emphasis on breakfast became a cultural touchstone, something that was believed to be a traditional part of the English experience and worthy of preservation.

With the Full English breakfast now a mainstream part of British culture, they began to be served at no-frills pubs and restaurants that cater to the working classes, which were known as “greasy spoons.” In addition to being a part of the culture, there was also a practical benefit. The calorically dense and hearty meal was ideal for those who worked strenuous professions, such as factory workers, dock workers, and others who needed a lot of energy to perform their duties. What was once the purview of the wealthy was now a staple part of the middle and working-class culture.

By the late 20th century, changes in health consciousness and cheaper food imports from abroad, which made finding quality ingredients more difficult and expensive, led to the Full English falling out of favor with the general public. It has become more of a novelty than a standard part of British culinary tradition. In addition, the de-industrialization of Britain led to the closing of the so-called “greasy spoon” dining establishments that catered to the now out-of-work laborers in the factories or on the docks. Today, very few eat this type of breakfast on a regular basis, once again being reserved for special occasions or holidays.

In recent years, however, the Full English has had a bit of a resurgence. Many pubs and restaurants serve the meal, partially for the locals recovering from a night on the town but also for tourists who want to experience this local cultural tradition. Diplomats and dignitaries have also used it to impress foreign guests, helping to share British culture abroad. The rise of social media has shown countless individuals sharing photos of this unique part of British tradition with the world.