HOW TO..HEALTHIER SUNDAY BRUNCH/ENGLISH BREAKFAST: Make ahead, lower-fat

A 'full English' breakfast is popular both at home or eating out...apparently the latest rage amongst the foodie cogniscenti in London

updated Feb 2023

Baking, not frying, reduces fat without loss of crispness & colour

A bit surprising, considering the high fat values of the typical English breakfast, but in a way not.  Full English is a relatively inexpensive way to dine out.  An increasing number of good restaurants provide excellent breakfasts in congenial surroundings (see tips below).  On working days, breakfast can take place outside of office hours and usually won't overrun. 

But over a Bank Holiday weekend, breakfast/brunch can be a marvellously convivial and inexpensive way to entertain. Well balanced with protein, veg and carbs, it replenishes nutrients lost in nights of over-indulgence, whether socially or academically.  

For the health conscious, 67's Full English Breakfast/Brunch has two advantages: it's lower in fat and higher in stomach-friendly enzymes and fibre.  Ovens and hobs take the place of frying pans.  Even better, much of the work can be done the day before.        

Full English Breakfast consists of:
    eggs
    bacon
    sausage
    tomatoes
    mushrooms
    potatoes or beans (sometimes both)
    black pudding (opt)
    toast or fried bread
    coffee or tea

Brunch would add any or all of:
     juice
     fruit
     pancakes
     yoghurt
     muffins
And if you're planning to extend brunch into lunch, wholemeal salads (Recipes: Salads)



67's Brunch Menu
    
    back bacon
    reduced fat, venison or boar sausages (90%+ meat if poss)
    twice-poached eggs 
    two-potato champ
    grilled tomatoes
    mushrooms with lemon & thyme (opt)
    
    white and/or wholemeal toast OR
    croissants OR
    crusty French bread OR
    homemade sourdough buns, hot out of the oven
    with instant fruit compote or low-sugar jam


Cost: £6-7'ish depending on choices 

Feeds: 4 but recipe halves nicely

Ingred:
   4-8 slices back bacon, fat trimmed
   4 sausages
   4-8 eggs, fresh as possible
   4 tomatoes, halved
   
   100 gms mushrooms, halved (quartered if large)
   butter and/or olive oil
   lemon juice
   
   1/2 k baking potatoes
   1/2 k sweet potatoes
   butter
   milk
   0-fat yoghurt
   1 bunch spring onions
   s&p

Method: 

 The previous day

1. Preheat oven to 375f/190c/180fan; bring a medium pot of water to boil
2. If using potatoes, halve vertically, place naked on oven rack with a tray underneath to catch any drips; bake 30-45 mins or until soft.  Follow instructions in Two-Potato Champ; place in a heatproof bowl; cool an hour, clingfilm, refrigerate
3. Stab the sausages with a fork in several places on both sides to encourage lower fat; when water is boiling drop in sausages; turn heat off; leave 10 mins; drain & cool 
4. Lay sausages on a baking rack in a tray large enough to also accommodate bacon slices, laid flat; cling film tightly; refrigerate
5. Placed halved tomatoes on a small tray; spray tops with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt & pepper and a pinch of dried basil or thyme; cling film tightly, refrigerate
6. Check mushrooms; remove any dirt with paper towel or pastry brush; place in small pan with a knob of butter & a squirt of olive oil; cover tightly with clingfilm; lay lemon, juicer & dried thyme on top of clingfilm

On the day

1.  Pre-poach Eggs before guests arrive

1st poaching 3 mins; 2nd poaching 1 min

(While some restaurants poach eggs up to 3 days in advance, 67 recommends poaching the eggs on the day for best flavour)     

1. Have a baking tray lined with a clean, damp j-cloth near the stove
2. Bring a large wide pan of water to the boil; add a couple of tablespoons white vinegar; reduce heat until water is simmering but still hot
3. Crack each egg into a small bowl or teacup
4. Ease the bowl and egg on its side into the surface of the water, hold for a few seconds then dump egg into water; the white will quickly coagulate around the yolks. 
5. Do no more than four eggs at a time 
6. After 2 1/2 minutes, the white should be set and the yolks still runny
7. Use a slotted spoon or spider to carefully remove eggs one at a time (if serving 4 have a few extra eggs on hand in case of breakages)
8. Place eggs on j-cloth lined pan, leaving plenty of space in between 
9. Cool; trim or tidy whites if desired, refrigerate until ready to re-heat

Note: if your eggs are very fresh, you won't need vinegar; place the eggs in a strainer, allowing some of the whites to drip through and cook as per instructions above.

2.  Serving Breakfast

Equipment needed: 1 medium saucepan on which the bowl of two-potato hash can reheat over simmering water; wide large pan for poached eggs 

1. Remove breakfast ingredients from fridge an hour before mealtime 
2. 25 minutes before breakfast/brunch is scheduled, preheat oven to 375f/190c/180f; remove clingfilm from tomatoes and slide onto bottom or lowest shelf
3. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil; reduce heat to a simmer; place bowl of two-potato hash on top; cover with foil or a pot lid 
4. Remove cling film from bacon & sausage; place meat in the middle shelf; bake 20 mins or until bacon is crisp and sausages brown
5. Every ten mins stir potatoes with a spatula, bringing what's on the bottom to the top; when potatoes are heated through, check water has not boiled away; turn heat down to lowest level & keep warm
6. Cook mushrooms over medium high heat until nearly done; take off heat, add juice of half a lemon and pinch of thyme; keep warm
7. Bring second pot of water to boil; carefully slide in poached eggs; leave for one minute or until heated through
8. Decant  meat, potatoes, tomatoes and mushrooms on serving dishes and place on table
9. Place toaster on table with basket of bread or re-heat rolls, croissants etc
10. Serve poached eggs on a separate platter

                                                  ****

 67 recommendations for cooked restaurant breakfasts 

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