Full Scottish Breakfast

Scottish breakfast has to be one of the best in the world! If you’ve traveled to Scotland and had it, you know that I’m not exaggerating! Learn how to build the perfect full Scottish breakfast in your own kitchen!

Growing up in Scotland, I took certain foods for granted.

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I never realized how much I would miss some of the things I loved like black pudding, Scottish (Ayrshire) bacon with the rind, my dad’s Scottish fish and chips and much, much more. One of the reasons I started my website was to share my love of Scottish food.

While I can recreate tattie scones, cream buns and Scotch broth here in my LA kitchen, I know that there are many of you who either don’t know how easy it is to bring a taste of Scotland into your home. or have never thought about it. So let’s delve into the full Scottish breakfast, also known as a “fry up.”

What is in a Traditional Scottish Breakfast?

There isn’t one, exact full Scottish breakfast, per se, but there are a few items which I say must be on the plate. Those would be bacon, black pudding, potato scones, square sausage, eggs, beans and toast. Below is my Scottish breakfast at Northlands B & B in Pitlochry, Scotland.

Once you have this foundation, you can add basics like grilled tomato, fried mushrooms, and also move onto more Scottish ingredients like haggis and clootie dumpling (recipe to come) which are also fried.

What is the Difference Between an English breakfast and a Scottish Breakfast?

While there are some differences between an English breakfast and a Scottish breakfast, sometimes they can look exactly the same, such as this breakfast I had at the Bull and Hide Pub in London.

It’s when we get into a full Scottish breakfast that the differences are much more pronounced. For example, you’d never have haggis, potato scones and clootie dumpling on a breakfast plate in England. A full English breakfast will normally always have sausages (link sausages), tomato and mushrooms.

Another type of traditional Scottish breakfast is porridge!
Did you know that I’m a world porridge champion at the Carrbridge Golden Spurtle, 2014?

Most often, a Scottish breakfast will include potato scones and black pudding, but white pudding, haggis, and clootie dumpling are less popular.

Timing

The most difficult part of making a Scottish breakfast is the timing (think of a Thanksgiving spread!) I’ve given a step by step of which order to cook the items, however, since you probably won’t be adding certain foods (probably haggis and dumpling) it will be much easier than it seems.

Cook the mushrooms in advance and just heat them before serving, or use a toaster oven or air fryer to help the process move more quickly. Have another pair of hands to help, even if it’s just to make the toast and tea, it will move more smoothly with assistance.

Breakfast for DInner

This is such a hearty meal, it can double as dinner! However, I suggest keeping it lighter if you’re going to be eating it later in the day. Another tip: don’t ever plan on eating lunch after you’ve had a full Scottish breakfast!

Note on the fried eggs–if you prefer poached, coddled eggs or dippy eggs, don’t let the fact that it’s called a “fry up” stop you! I love a good dippy egg with my full Scottish (yes, you can call it a full Scottish and everyone will know what you are talking about in the UK!)

Scottish Breakfast

by Christina Conte Serves 2

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Note: it’s rare that all of these items will appear all on one plate at the same time, so please don’t try to make everything at once. Choose to mix and match the items to discover your own favorite full Scottish breakfast!

Ingredients

• bacon
• black pudding
• Lorne/square sausage
• potato scones
• eggs
• tomatoes (optional)
• mushrooms (optional)
• haggis (optional)
• white pudding (optional)
• dumpling (optional)
• Heinz beans
• HP Sauce (brown sauce)
• plain bread
• butter
• tea

Ingredients in bold are exclusively Scottish.

Directions

Heat the oven to 200F (100C) or use a warming drawer to keep the first part of the breakfast hot. Put two, oven-proof plates in to keep warm.

Fry the sliced mushrooms in some butter, and add salt at the end. Place in an ovenproof bowl and put into the preheated oven. In the same pan, quickly heat the tomato halves (you want them to hold together.) on the cut side. Set aside once cooked. (You can also broil/grill them.)

In another frying pan or griddle, place 2 slices of Lorne sausage, this will take the longest to cook. Towards the end of cooking, add haggis slices, if using. Add the sausage and haggis to a paper towel lined tray and place in the oven.

In the same pan as the mushrooms/tomatoes were cooked in (wipe with a paper towel), fry the bacon to your liking. In Britain, bacon isn’t cooked to a hard crisp as it is in the US. Remove and place on the paper towel lined tray and put back in the oven.

I like to fry my white/black pudding and potato scones in bacon grease, which is difficult if you use back bacon. So if you don’t have any or don’t want to use bacon grease, use a little olive oil to fry the black pudding and potato scones next.

Keep adding the food to the tray and keep the tray in the warm oven.

This is the time to make a pot of tea, and get the toaster ready with slices of bread to toast.

Next, put the Heinz beans into a small pot and heat gently (do not boil.)

Lastly, fry the eggs (and clootie dumpling, if using) as you desire. Pop the toaster on once you are finished with the eggs. Place the eggs on warm plates, then butter the toast and add to the plate.

Place the items from the tray in the oven onto the plates, as well, and serve hot.

Don’t forget the HP Sauce and to pour your cups of tea!

Note: if you want to be extra naughty, you could omit the toast for fried bread! And if you don’t want to make a clootie dumpling, you can make this tea bread and fry a couple of slices as its flavor is very similar.

And there you have your own Scottish breakfast! What items will you choose for your plate?

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