Breakfast in the UK?

[Lost property]

Having not been to the UK for some years, on a Eurailpass last year with intensive travel I noted a poor selection of yoghurt at the small supermarkets (typically a Sainsbury's Local, but occasionally Marks'n'Sparks).

From memory the former had little or no variety.

I didn't have time to visit larger supermarkets such as a full size Tesco, as these tended to be away from stations. Is the selection of this dairy product better at the larger stores?

As an aside, what percentage of Englishmen and women do you estimate eat 'The Great British Breakfast' either daily, or at least once a week?

Is that extensive breakfast with its Yorkshire pudding, sausages, bacon and egg(s) still popular with Britons under say 35 years of age?

Well first, the size of supermarket locals / express negates the stock available, but yes, main outlets do stock a comprehensive range of yoghourts .

Which leads to..breakfast !

If you watch the television adverts, and believe them, then everybody eats super healthy breakfasts...the reality is probably very different plus healthy foods attract a mark up in price.

The fabled "Full English " (see also Welsh, Scottish including Lorne Sausage, the square one) and, if your cholesterol levels can stand it, the "Ulster Fry " are all pretty much the same. Can vary from region to region, hence the jaded palates of Sarf Lahdan, are missing an essential..black pudding !.....probably the best thing to come out of Bury, however, be warned.

In recent times, like Japanese Knotweed in contagion, the breakfast has been desecrated by the abomination called.....hash browns !!....these are cheap and nasty replacements for another essential...fried bread !...preferably cooked in lard.

Morrisons still serve fried bread with their breakfast, ask elsewhere and you will be regarded as the devil incarnate.

However, I can personally recommend "Greasy Lil's " as it was affectionately known, or "The Hollies " truck stop on the A5 outside Cannock. Yes, it's a truck stop, but, it's far from the stereotype....even featured in the Sunday Times for the quality of the breakfast. Tends to attract an eclectic range of clientele in the early hrs Sat / Sun.

 

[tarq]

As an aside, what percentage of Englishmen and women do you estimate eat 'The Great British Breakfast' either daily, or at least once a week?

Is that extensive breakfast with its Yorkshire pudding, sausages, bacon and egg(s) still popular with Britons under say 35 years of age?

At my work there is a staff canteen and I’m sure there are people that eat a traditional cooked breakfast every day but most people only have it as a occasional Sunday brunch or holiday treat.

I suspect most British people under 35 if travelling by rail at breakfast time would either have a sausage / bacon sandwich, porridge or something continental like a croissant.

I agree with the other posters that you can expect to find an extensive selection of yoghurts and other continental breakfast options in the smaller supermarkets found in or around the stations.

 

[GusB]

Must admit I must be one of the only Scottish people who prefer a proper “link” sausage to square/flat sausage (think it must be one of the few English preferences that has “crept” over the border into D&G )

I prefer link sausages to Lorne, although I don't mind the latter. I often buy Cumberland sausages and occasionally Lincolnshires when i can get them. Asda's substitution fairy frequently sends me things I didn't order, but it has allowed me to try some of the Extra Special range that I wouldn't normally have opted for.

There's a local butcher around here that makes Irn Bru sausages, which I wasn't keen on!

Breakfast for me these days is a mug of coffee and some toast, but I sometimes feel the urge for the full works, including sliced haggis.

 

[uglymonkey]

I have one on occasion if I'm out. No time in the mornings for one at home usually have cereal or one of those heat me up porridge pots if I can find one. Usually after "an english" I feel guilty for a while on how lethal and unhealthy it is. ( but it soon wears off!)

 

[Jamiescott1]

We don't have the north American culture of going out for breakfast / brunch in the uk.

I dont like full English, I'd much rather have some decent cold meats and cheese but usually I have overnight oats daily

 

[nlogax]

Square sausage belongs in a buttered roll where it can remain delicious on its own terms. Link sausage belongs in a cooked breakfast, as long as it's not a Richmond pink goo-tube.

 

[westv]

We don't have the north American culture of going out for breakfast / brunch in the uk.

I dont like full English, I'd much rather have some decent cold meats and cheese but usually I have overnight oats daily

What are overnight oats?

 

[ajs]

What are overnight oats?

It’s a mixture of porridge oats, yoghurt and fruit, that is “cooked “ in the fridge overnight.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Relatively expensive but the "Betty's" tea room chain in Yorkshire do a really decent, good quality "All Day Breakfast". This particular breakfast special includes scrambled egg, sausage, bacon, cooked tomato and a great big mushroom. And toast "soldiers".

Baked beans are, however, charged as an extra.

There'll undoubtedly be cheaper alternatives elsewhere, but the "Betty's" offering is, IMHO, consistently top notch.

 

[ChrisC]

When I am away from home on holiday and staying in a hotel I always eat a full cooked breakfast every day. This will include black pudding or haggis if I’m in Scotland, but I never eat hash browns. When I am at home I mainly just have cereals and fruit and would not consider a cooked breakfast.

When staying in a hotel I will usually eat a large breakfast at around 8am before going out for the day at around 9am. Most of the day I will then be quite active and will often walk a good few miles. Having eaten a large breakfast I don’t then eat at lunchtime but I am usually ready for a meal late afternoon. This works well if I’m in a city or a busy tourist area, but it can be a problem, finding somewhere to eat late afternoon in rural areas or even in smaller towns. Having eaten late afternoon I don’t eat anything further, except for perhaps a small snack or some fruit in the evening if I feel hungry.

 

[railfan99]

Thanks: interesting information, even if I can't imagine consuming Yorkshire or black pudding (nor baked beans that I detest), even though in Sep 2022 I visited Bury to travel on ELR.

When shortly in England, I'll endeavour to visit a larger supermarket (preferably Tesco as it uses rail a lot!) to obtain yoghurt, a breakfast essential for many from the so-called "Great Southern Land".

 

[birchesgreen]

Thanks: interesting information, even if I can't imagine consuming Yorkshire or black pudding (nor baked beans that I detest), even though in Sep 2022 I visited Bury to travel on ELR.

Yorkshire and black puddings are pretty different to be honest.

 

[railfan99]

Yorkshire and black puddings are pretty different to be honest.

Yes I knew that. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[gg1]

I always have one when staying in a UK or Ireland hotel/BnB, but very rarely otherwise. Generally the closest I get to one at home is a bacon and fried egg sandwich.

Going back 20 years or so, there was a very good but cheap greasy spoon around 5 minutes walk from where I lived at the time, I used to regularly have a fry up there.

 

[WelshBluebird]

I'll probably cook a full breakfast once or twice a month whilst at home. Other day's we'll have cereal, fruit or croissant's / pain au chocolat's mostly, or a bacon and egg or sausage and egg sandwhich or an omlette if I want to cook. Will usually have full breakfast if I am staying at a hotel that offers if too.

As for the black pudding conversation - it is one of the best bits!

 

[railfan99]

I always have one when staying in a UK or Ireland hotel/BnB, but very rarely otherwise. Generally the closest I get to one at home is a bacon and fried egg sandwich.

Your (and others' similar) suggestions are akin to my distant country where once most (say in 1960s) had a cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs (plus maybe tomato, simpler than The Great British Breakfast) but today that won't be the case except for a minority on weekends, and even then at a cafe it's more likely to be smashed avocado on toast. At home during the week, it might be cereal and perhaps raisin or plain toast, yoghurt, 'ready-to-go' Tetra paks of supposedly 'breakfast drinks' and so on.

Many might have a cooked breakfast in Australia if staying at an hotel or motel, but that's hardly a daily event for most.

Australia (and small NZ) are probably much more of a 'dairy' culture (no pun intended) than the UK, but France and some other nations with their EU-subsidised dairyfarmers are oddly more akin to Oz and NZ than UK in that regard. Perhaps the notorious English climate (which I enjoy when in your nation) is to blame, as yoghurt may be considered unsuitable for a wet/cloudy/cold day's start?

It shows how society in the West in our two nations has changed. I bet more people in both skip breakfast than 40 years ago even though doctors and nutritionists warn against doing that.

 

[westv]

Thanks: interesting information, even if I can't imagine consuming Yorkshire or black pudding (nor baked beans that I detest), even though in Sep 2022 I visited Bury to travel on ELR.

When shortly in England, I'll endeavour to visit a larger supermarket (preferably Tesco as it uses rail a lot!) to obtain yoghurt, a breakfast essential for many from the so-called "Great Southern Land".

Don't worry about black pudding unless you're a vampire.

Relatively expensive but the "Betty's" tea room chain in Yorkshire do a really decent, good quality "All Day Breakfast". This particular breakfast special includes scrambled egg, sausage, bacon, cooked tomato and a great big mushroom. And toast "soldiers".

Baked beans are, however, charged as an extra.

There'll undoubtedly be cheaper alternatives elsewhere, but the "Betty's" offering is, IMHO, consistently top notch.

Beans extra. How mean! Next they'll charge extra for an egg.

 

[Huntergreed]

Perhaps slightly OT - but has anyone ever had white pudding (the lesser known, less vampirical cousin to black pudding)?

Always fancied trying it but never seen it offered anywhere! I wonder if this is offered in any “great British breakfasts” in the UK?

 

[railfan99]

Beans extra. How mean! Next they'll charge extra for an egg.

Wouldn't baked beans be just about the cheapest item in the GBBFast?

 

[Ashley Hill]

If I’m early turn I’ll have cereal,on late turn toast. On the rare occasions I’m on a middle turn where I start before lunch but finish after tea I’ll do myself a full English breakfast brunch.
When off I might have boiled eggs.
In hotels it’s always a cooked breakfast.

 

[ChrisC]

Must admit I must be one of the only Scottish people who prefer a proper “link” sausage to square/flat sausage (think it must be one of the few English preferences that has “crept” over the border into D&G )

Around 30 years ago my sister moved up to Scotland for work and lived for 20 years in a remote location in Argyll. Her nearest neighbour was quite a wealthy Scottish man who lived in a large house at the end of the lane. Whenever my sister came down to England to visit relatives he asked her to bring him a considerable quantity of link sausage. He hated the sliced sausage and really appreciated a regular supply of link sausages from local butchers in Nottinghamshire and even more so Lincolnshire. Apparently, whenever he had people staying with him, he would give them a meal using some of this sausage, and they all thought it was wonderful in comparison to the sliced sausage they usually had.

 

[Trainguy34]

When I was at Butlins last week, my breakfast often consisted of: 2 or 3 slices of Fried Bread, a lot of Mushrooms, 2 Sausages, a (hopefully runny yolked) Fried Egg and *Controversy alert* only 1 slice of Bacon, preferably the least fatty they had as I've never liked it with fat on.

 

[12LDA28C]

I was on a road trip with some friends many years ago in the US, we stopped off for breakfast in some random small town in Tennessee I think and found a nice little cafe. The female owner was very friendly and hospitable and surprised to see five English lads in town. When I placed my order for ham and eggs I received the expected 'how do you want your eggs' (sunny side up) but also 'and did you want country ham or city ham'?! That was a new one on me. I seem to recall that country ham was thicker and more like gammon whereas city ham was thinly sliced, at least I think that was it.

 

[nlogax]

Perhaps slightly OT - but has anyone ever had white pudding (the lesser known, less vampirical cousin to black pudding)?

It's the one breakfast pudding I've yet to try. I was surprised by how nice fruit pudding was, on paper it shouldn't work as a breakfast thing.

 

[jfollows]

It shows how society in the West in our two nations has changed. I bet more people in both skip breakfast than 40 years ago even though doctors and nutritionists warn against doing that.

That's complete nonsense (not you, the doctors and their ilk), coming from a sweeping generalisation rather than the realisation that people are vastly different - I don't eat breakfast and I don't intend to change my habit of a lifetime!
However I do occasionally indulge in a full breakfast if I'm out and about and it's late enough in the morning for me to have an appetite.

 

[railfan99]

I don't eat breakfast and I don't intend to change my habit of a lifetime!
However I do occasionally indulge in a full breakfast if I'm out and about and it's late enough in the morning for me to have an appetite.

Doctors may suggest you're 'an outlier'. I'm neutral, given like most I lack detailed medical knowledge. But if it works for you, fine!

 

[westv]

Wouldn't baked beans be just about the cheapest item in the GBBFast?

Even more reason not to have them as an "extra".

That's complete nonsense (not you, the doctors and their ilk), coming from a sweeping generalisation rather than the realisation that people are vastly different - I don't eat breakfast and I don't intend to change my habit of a lifetime!
However I do occasionally indulge in a full breakfast if I'm out and about and it's late enough in the morning for me to have an appetite.

I couldn't not have breakfast.

 

[railfan99]

When I was at Butlins last week...

If I may briefly go OT, are these Butlins 'holiday camps' still popular? There's one at Minehead that I hope is a source of patronage for the wonderful WSR.

 

[Trainguy34]

If I may briefly go OT, are these Butlins 'holiday camps' still popular? There's one at Minehead that I hope is a source of patronage for the wonderful WSR.

Yep, we went to Bognor Regis resort and it was quite busy, we booked next year's as its cheaper to book while there and we chose Minehead, the cheapest but biggest resort for a week, IIRC the WSR doesn't operate on Mondays or Fridays otherwise we'd use that to get from Taunton via Bishops Lydeard instead of a 1 1/2 bus ride. I know we are going to probably to a day or 2 on the WSR while there.

 

[DelW]

For me, the square Lorne sausage at breakfast is a highlight of trips to Scotland, and I often bring a packet home with me to extend the experience. My partner is from Fife, but she doesn't like them.

Sadly I can't find anywhere to buy them down here south of London. I have tried making my own, but the recipes I've tried so far don't taste the same, and you have to freeze most of them as it's not really practical to make just a small quantity.