Eggs – How to do English breakfast at home

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I have been a week in London and I enjoyed the English breakfast: scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, toasted bread, warm tomato (I skipped the beans as I shouldn't eat them).

Now, how can I do it at home, in Italy (with local bacon and sausages), for a single serving? I really need a step by step comprehensive guide, as I tried to do a couple of time egg and bacon with an awful result. I assume that people doing it every day will know a lot of tips and secrets, such things that may seem obvious to you but are obscure to a foreign.

Of course, being a breakfast, it should be reasonably fast to prepare, so "logistic" tips are appreciated as well!

PS: please don't give me the recipe for "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, baked beans, Spam, Spam, Spam and Spam".


Great answers, thanks to all of you. I really appreciated (and upvoted) the step by step guide provided by Aaronut, but I market as accepted Sam's answer for its reference to Italian availability of ingredients.

Best Answer

I'm english. I mitigate timing issues by warming a pyrex dish or just a plate by keeping it under the pan I am grilling the stuff in (or in the oven on very low usually with the door open), then putting the bits that are cooked in the pan to keep warm. Generally this is because I'm doing it for more than I can do on the grill in a single sitting though, but it would work for single portions. I do this:

Grill (broil) your bacon (smoked back), sausages (pork) and tomato. Bacon should be flipped once, when the fat on the rind is just taking colour, sausages turned a few times, tomato should be halved and done cut side up.

whilst they are grilling prepare your scrambled eggs. Just mix 2-3 eggs a little in a bowl, no need to whisk to death, just mix till loosely combined. Add a little cream or milk if you want. whatever egg recipe flots your boat

The bacon will be done first (don't make it crispy - just a little colour on the fatty bits). remove it when done, and put on the warm plate under the grill pan to keep warm. Cover it with another plate or foil. When the sausages are nearly done, pop in your toast.

Then season with salt and pepper and cook your scrambled eggs. Again do this according to your favourite egg recipe, I melt butter in a non stick frying pan, add the eggs and stir with wooden spoon until set. some like the runnier than others. finish with a large knob of butter and check the seasoning.

toast, sausages and tomatoes should be done.

butter toast, put everything on a plate and eat with HP sauce and a hot cup of tea, no sugar, very little bit of milk, preferably from a pot of tea.

if you don't like the idea of timing the eggs/toast with the finishing of the sausage you can grill everything till done and keep it all on the warm plate in the oven/under the grill pan (not directly under the heat, but under the pan which is under the heat) whilst you make the eggs/toast/tea.

its not traditional, but I also like a slice of halloumi grilled with mine. maybe that's just me.

the bacon that is usually used is back bacon (I much prefer smoked)

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but some people will use streaky bacon (again smoked is better IMHO):

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It probably unlikely that you will get back bacon in italy, so you next best bet is slices of (smoked) pancetta which is similar to streaky bacon.

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you might substitute a nice dry cured ham instead, but it won't be quite the same. though ham and eggs is a good breakfast.