A hearty fried plate of back-bacon rashers, pork sausages, both black and white pudding, eggs, tomato and mushrooms, all cooked in the one pan. The black-and-white pudding duo is what sets it apart, and it is mopped up with buttered toast or soda bread.
The full Irish is the national cooked breakfast; its signature is the inclusion of both black pudding (blood) and white pudding (no blood), distinguishing it from other British-Isles fry-ups.
A glorious jumble of salty, savoury and rich: snappy sausages, crisp-edged rashers, and the contrast of earthy black pudding against mild, oaty white pudding. A runny yolk ties it together, while griddled tomato cuts through with a sweet-tart lift. Built to set you up for the whole day.
Cooking everything in sequence in one pan layers flavour, as each item fries in the rendered fat of the last for a savoury through-line. Slicing the puddings exposes more surface to crisp, and basting the eggs sets the white while leaving the yolk fluid.
Variations
Served as an Ulster fry with potato and soda farls, with baked beans added, or with hash browns and grilled rashers
On the Palate
Where Full Irish Breakfast sits in the Irish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 2
How it's made
8 steps · 15 min
- 110 min
Fry the pork sausages slowly until browned all over, then keep warm.
- 26 min
Cook the back-bacon rashers in the same pan until the edges crisp.
Watch outLay the rashers in the sausage fat and cook till the edges crisp and curl — that rendered fat is the pan's flavor base for everything after.
- 35 min
Slice the black and white pudding and fry until crusted on both sides.
Watch outGive the sliced puddings a proper crust on both sides — a crisp shell over the soft middle; flip too early and they crumble apart.
- 43 min
Halve the tomato and add it cut-side down with the mushrooms.
- 54 min
Sautee the mushrooms in the rendered bacon and sausage fat.
- 63 min
Fry the eggs to taste, basting for a just-set yolk.
Watch outBaste the eggs by spooning hot fat over the tops — the whites set while the yolk stays runny for dipping the toast.
- 73 min
Toast bread or warm soda bread and butter it generously.
- 82 min
Arrange everything on warm plates and serve with strong tea.
