The Full East Anglian Breakfast was a solid start to the day. The fried eggs were the pick of the bunch with crispy edges and still runny yolks. These are the type of fried eggs you aim for but can never quite make at home. The sausage had a great flavour and a great bite, with a bit of brown sauce, it went down nicely. I opted for the brown toast with that naive notion we all have that there should be at least something healthy on my plate. Maybe it was because I expected unremarkable whole wheat bread, but what arrived was anything but. The thickness and texture were perfect to mop up the runny yolks. The accompanying butter complemented the bread well but confusingly I initially thought it was cheese. Next up the black pudding; being from North America, this isn’t something that I grew up with but it is something to which I have grown accustomed. It was just as I like it, crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, with a drop of brown sauce it hit the spot. The little hash browns, do they belong in a full breakfast or are they an American invasion like myself, who is to say? They had a lovely crunch but I wish I had some ketchup and that the plate had three rather than two.
At this point you’re wondering if everything is so fantastic, why haven’t I heard about the breakfast from this cute pub in rural Cambridgeshire? Alas, not everything was top notch. The bacon rashers were good quality but rather pale. Growing up with streaky bacon, I must admit that getting used to back bacon rashers took some time, but when well executed, they are better. These rashers sadly were not well executed. A few more minutes on the grill with a bacon press would render out more fat and crisp up the edges. The (half a) portobello mushroom was properly done but I only remembered that I ate it when I looked back at a photo, enough said. The beans were of decent quality but I wish they were served hotter. Coffee was served in a metal cafetière where sadly the grounds had not been properly strained so while it was tasty, the bottom of my cup looked like a Hawaiian black sand beach.
The tomato is decoration, do not eat the tomato. 8/10. (With thanks to Baron Abramowitz.)