Life

13 Quintessentially English Breakfast Recipes To Make While Watching The Royal Wedding

by Emily Westbrooks

Does the impending royal wedding have you lifting your pinky finger when you drink your coffee every morning? The upcoming nuptials have me oddly excited to whip up some English cuisine for a very early morning watch party, which will probably consist of me and the 9-month-old who loves to wake up at 5 a.m. every night anyway. But if you're throwing a proper royal wedding watch party, you're going to want to add some of these royal wedding breakfast party food ideas to your menu.

Sadly, British people don't eat donuts too often for breakfast and they're not that big into waffles, but they do have some yummy popover-like Yorkshire pudding and crumpets that are similar to English muffins. And for the more adventurous, you can simply slice up a blood pudding and throw it in a pan with some butter until it's crispy on all sides. That might be a bridge too far for many people getting up at 5 a.m. to watch the Royal wedding this Saturday morning, but hey, this could be the last royal wedding for quite a while. You may as well go all out or stay in bed!

If you're plotting your royal wedding breakfast party menu this week, here's where to start.

1

Crumpets

If there ever was a stereotypical English breakfast, crumpets would be it. They have more uniform holes than an English muffin (and oddly, English muffins are pretty hard to come by across the pond), perfect for layering on homemade jam. Bake them the night before and just reheat them on royal wedding morning.

2

Eton Mess

Traditionally more of a dessert than a breakfast food, eton mess is a mixture of crushed meringue, freshly whipped cream (not from an aerosol can) and fresh berries. Keep the whipped cream to a minimal sugar level and you can definitely serve this while you watch the live stream of the royal wedding.

3

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire pudding is essentially the same thing as what we call popovers, but it's traditionally baked in a pan, rather than individually. It also usually takes advantage of a pan that's just roasted some sort of beef and has lots of drippings left over.

4

Toast And Marmalade

For generations, marmalade has been a top option for slathering on toast in England, but unfortunately it's been on the decline in the last decade, relegated to the cupboards of old people, according to the Express. But that shouldn't deter you for your royal breakfast. It's still very traditional; just make sure you slather that toast with butter before you add the marmalade. It makes all the difference.

5

Black Pudding

Black pudding, otherwise known as blood sausage, isn't for the faint of heart. It's usually made with a whole bunch of oatmeal and a mixture of pork or beef fat as well as pork blood. It's usually sliced and fried along with the rest of a traditional English breakfast. It's edible if you don't think about what you're eating!

6

Scotch Eggs

It took me a very long time to figure out how they actually made Scotch eggs. Turns out, a soft boiled egg is wrapped in a mixture of sausage, egg, and seasoning before being covered in breadcrumbs and fried. It's not exactly the easiest English breakfast idea, but it would certainly be a show-stopper at 5 a.m.

7

Strawberries and Cream

The favorite desert of Wimbledon fans, strawberries and cream is a delightful English breakfast option. Slice the strawberries and use a mixer to whip the cream. Add just a little powdered sugar midway through whipping — really, go easy! — and add a dollop over the berries.

8

Bubble and Squeak

Nearly all of bubble and squeak can be made ahead of time, since the base is made from leftover cooked veggies and potatoes. Just fry up some eggs to throw on top and it's the perfect English breakfast.

9

Toad In The Hole

If you can manage Yorkshire pudding, you can manage toad in a hole, which is just a pan full of Yorkshire pudding batter dotted with sausages and baked until everything is browned and crispy. The batter can be made a few hours ahead, so maybe just throw it together before you go to bed the night before — you'll be up in a few hours for the royal festivities anyway! Throw in a few sausages and bake. Voila!

10

Porridge

Most British people don't have a full English breakfast every morning. Instead, they might have toast with jam or marmalade, or porridge, which we call oatmeal. Make a big batch of overnight oats and offer lots of toppings for your guests, like seeds and berries, honey and jam.

11

Scones

Scones are a great make-ahead option, and although they aren't typically eaten for breakfast in England, they make pretty delicious breakfast food slathered with jam or butter. And while we're on the topic of butter, fancy butter is way better on scones.

12

English Breakfast

None of the components of a traditional English breakfast are terribly difficult, but there's quite a few to organize, including baked beans, sautéed mushrooms, bacon, sausages, eggs, and toast. If you're having a potluck royal wedding breakfast party, it could come together quite quickly!

13

Boiled Eggs and Toast Soldiers

Soft boiled eggs with toast soldiers is a fast breakfast to whip up for your friends. Just set a timer to make sure there's something to dip those soldiers in, because hard boiled eggs don't work nearly as well for dipping sticks of buttered toast. This recipe does rely on egg cups for the boiled eggs, but that's nothing Amazon Prime can't fix in a hurry!