There are many debatable aspects to the full Irish breakfast that even we ourselves argue about. Beans or no beans? Should there be a tomato or mushrooms? Our choices arguably set it aside from the Continental Breakfast and the Full English breakfast, what ever that is. But I want to make a point on the ultimate full Irish breakfast; it should come with a pint of Guinness.
What is in a Full Irish Breakfast?
This section is already going to cause rows.
Across the whole island, what’s part of a full Irish, also known as a fry or a fry up, changes quite a bit and even more divisive is the fact that some people just have personal preferences, or habits bourne out of family tradition.
Staples in any full Irish and non-negotiable:
- Sausages – any less than two is an arrestable offence. Three is recommended.
- Black pudding and white pudding – I believe in diversity and both should be at the table.
- Rashers – bacon to most of the world.
- Eggs – while some accept a range of cooking styles, two fried sunny side up or down is the goal.
- Toast or brown bread – you need something to soak up extra egg.
- Proper Irish butter – for the toast and anything else you want to lather it on.
And that’s the staples out of the way, let’s get into the debatable inclusions.
- Tomatoes – personally, not for me – but other swear by them. Halved and fried.
- Mushrooms – again, personally – have to be there. Boiled in butter, milk, salt and pepper. My Dad always added these.
- Potatoes – the further north you go, the more common a boxty (potato pancake) is. Some places will chuck in a more familiar hash brown.
- Baked beans – incredibly common for something that really just shouldn’t be there. It’s a wee pot that gets left to the side no-one wants.
And on a normal day, in a normal household, you’d wash this down with a cup of tea. I’m not going to say which brand – each to their own.
But today is not a normal day. You’ve been out the night before. The whole reason you want a full Irish is because you need to soak up some of that evil. You need a fry. But wouldn’t “the hair of the dog” help you too?
The Cure in Dublin’s Early Houses
The early house is a fading tradition in Ireland, even in Dublin, which probably has most of them. These are pubs, typically located near some sort of body of water, that served drinks to market workers, docks and sea workers getting off their night shifts.
While most pubs in Ireland can legally start serving from 10:30am Monday to Saturday and 12:30pm on Sunday, early houses can open and serve from 7am. These pubs are few and far between, and even fewer serve up the ultimate cure to borrowing a little too much fun from today, yesterday.
Slatterys Bar is the ultimate cure. We often refer to “the cure” here in Ireland, as going for a wee pint the day after a big session. Rolling over into day two, and keeping on going is the easiest way to battle a hangover.
Slatterys is a magical place because they server up a full Irish, and they are an early house. Now, while they can legally open from 7am, they usually only open from 9am. But that means from 9.15am you’ll have a pint and a fry sitting in front of you, and by 9.40am, you’ll be onto your second pint and ready to take on the day!
It’s a miracle. You’re cured.
But don’t just take my word for it. People who know a lot more about food have vouched for Slatterys. Anthony Bourdain visited Dublin on several occasions and said “one of the great combinations in this world, is black pudding and eggs”.
So if you’ve landed into Ireland, got a bit caught up in the craic, overindulged and are a little worried about wasting a day of your holiday – you now have the recipe for a cure.
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