LOWER-FAT ENGLISH BREAKFAST/BRUNCH, easy-peasy, prep-ahead

A 'full English' is still popular in cafes and restaurants and, on weekends and holidays, at home.... 

with recipe for poached eggs

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

Over a Bank Holiday weekend, breakfast can be a marvellously convivial and inexpensive way to entertain family and/or friends. Well balanced with protein, veg and carbs, it replenishes nutrients lost in nights of over-indulgence, whether socially or academically.  Or simply bridges the gap between last night's meal and lunch or afternoon tea.

And, well-planned, it can be designed to be healthier and fit within the constraints of a budget.  

67's English Breakfast 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 consists of:
    eggs
    bacon
    sausage (if budget allows, high-meat like venison or wild boar)
    tomatoes
    mushrooms
    potatoes or beans (sometimes both)
    black pudding (opt)
    toast or fried bread
    coffee or tea

Cost: £5-6'ish depending on choices
Feeds: 4

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 the release of 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 2.5 mins or until egg holds shape; 2nd poaching 1-2 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, cover & refrigerate if necessary until ready to re-heat

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 is scheduled, preheat oven to 375f/190c/180f; remove clingfilm from tomatoes and slide onto bottom or lowest shelf
3. Bring the 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; every ten mins stir potatoes with a spatula, bringing what's on the bottom to the top;  
4. 20 minutes before breakfast is due to be served, remove cling film from bacon & sausage; place meat on the middle shelf; bake 20 mins or until bacon is crisp and sausages brown; turn heat to low; cover meat with foil; keep them and tomatoes in the bottom of the oven until needed
5. When potatoes are heated through, check water has not boiled away; turn heat down to lowest level & keep warm
6. 12 mins before breakfast, cook mushrooms over medium high heat until liquid is mostly gone 
7. 10 mins before serving breakfast, bring second pot of water to boil; carefully slide in pre-poached eggs; leave 1-2 mins or until heated through 
8. Take mushrooms off heat, add juice of half a lemon and a pinch of thyme; return to very low hob, cover & keep warm
9. When eggs are ready, place on a warmed platter
10. Place eggs, meat, potatoes, tomatoes and mushrooms in separate serving dishes on the table  
11. Place toaster on table with basket of bread or re-heat rolls, croissants etc

                                               

 67 recommendations for cooked restaurant breakfasts 

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