Full English Breakfasts by the Old Town Seafront.

I haven't visited two of these establishments for a while, but am having some time off eating Full English Breakfasts, as I need to lose weight, but I can't keep putting off this blog, or I'll have to visit all three all over again! Though I probably shall do some time anyway, but not for my next blog about breakfasts (which will be near the seafront again, to the west of the old town though), but the one after that, maybe, so a while to go...

My most recent visit was to the Hastings & St Leonards Angling Association club (virtually opposite the Albion and just to the east of the Crazy Golf courses), where a bargain of a breakfast, and drink, is just £3.50, and they open at 07.00 hours! The only drawback seems to be a dislike of dogs, fair enough, as a friend of mine and his wee mutt weren't allowed in to enjoy a full English brekkie!

OK, it's not the most enormous of breakfasts, but see what you get for just £3.50: a very tasty 'classic' pork sausage (from M&S I believe), a nice thick rasher of bacon, fried egg, black sausage, half a tomato, sauteed potatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, a thick slice of fresh bread (or toast), and a mug of tea or coffee too... Well cooked and presented, and jolly excellent value, many thanks Clare, nice one!

It's a while since I've been here, but I enjoyed a very good value, HUGE, breakfast at the East Hastings Sea Angling Association for a fiver, likely this would cost more now though.

The Full English Breakfast cost £4.45 then, plus sautéed potatoes or chips for another 50p. The breakfast included 1 decent sausage, 2 rashers of very good bacon, 1 fried egg, 2 hash browns, mushrooms, a choice of tomatoes or baked beans (I went for the healthy beans option), and a thick slice of buttered toast. This was good value for a nice breakfast! 

Just after leaving George Street, you come to Taylor's, Marine Parade. I sat looking out of the window here, with a view of the sea too! A very decent breakfast was enjoyed, indeed, for £6.50, the meal includes a tasty Cumberland sausage, 2 good thick rashers of bacon, a fried egg, a choice of tomato or mushrooms (I went for the mushrooms, thank you very much), baked beans, a slice of toast and a mug of tea or coffee, good value... 

The breakfast was well cooked, very tasty, and excellent value, and the service was friendly. I sat in the room up to the left as you walk in (in the photograph, the window on the left under 'cafe'), which felt quite like a home environment, especially when a group of older people sat behind me, enjoying the morning and banter. Taylor's also "doubles up" the breakfast for £11.50, but I'm not sure that even I could eat that much, as I was pretty full eating just the 'normal' breakfast! A vegetarian version of the 'Full English' is available here, without the Cumberland sausage or bacon, of course, but with 2 vegetarian sausages and bubble and squeak included. 

You can sit outside the establishment on the pavement here, which is a bonus in warmer weather, but I shall return to all 3 when I'm a wee bit fitter, no doubt about that! 

Full English Breakfasts in the Old Town

I've already written about Full English Breakfasts across the town, from west of St Leonards to the east of Iceland, and thought it was about time to delve into breakfasts in the Old Town, which do come on as a wee bit more expensive, as I expected. First to the Land of Green Ginger in the High Street, where a Full English Breakfast costs £9.50, no drink included, the pot of tea for one is £1.80, so £11.30 in all...

Very nicely presented, and very tasty, thank you, and, for your money you get 1 very nice herby sausage (from a nearby source apparently), 2 thick rashers of flavoursome bacon, 2 fried eggs, either sauteed potatoes or bubble & squeak (I went for the sauteed), baked beans, a tomato cut in half lightly cooked, I'd have preferred more mushrooms but OK, and 2 slices of white or wholemeal toast. Overall I'd give it 8/10 for decent quality particularly.

My second foray into the Old Town was in George Street this time, at The Green Cafe, where my breakfast cost a wee bit more, but this time included a pot of tea (I could have had coffee instead), and came to £10.50, so cheaper...

I do like the interior of this cafe, you can see why it's called The Green Cafe, everything matches, and I'm always a sucker for ceramic tiles! Anyway, the Full English Breakfast...

Again, a very decent sausage, which, for me (as I've said before) is a very important part of the meal, 2 good rashers of bacon, half a cooked tomato, 2 fried eggs (I always asked for fried, for research purposes!), 4 very nicely cooked decent sized mushrooms, potato rosti, hash brown, baked beans, a slice of toast, and the pot of tea. Another 8/10 scored!

It was difficult to say one was better than the other, indeed, both were very good... though the Land of Green Ginger, for example, had the better bread for toast, but The Green Cafe had the much better mushrooms, so that just shades my decision...

Though, not so far away, at the end of George Street, on Marine Parade at the seafront, Taylor's provides you with, maybe not quite so much food, but for half the price, and still very decent quality; see my blog from earlier in the year, and I shall have a look at seafront cafes next, so will likely re-visit Taylor's, I hate this job, shame it's not paid!

                                                                             

East of Iceland - Full English

I haven't written about full English breakfasts for quite a while, well I have, but I've been waiting for a version of this blog to be published elsewhere first, but I've given up waiting, though you may read something similar in print soon! However, do please walk eastwards from the centre of Hastings, and pass Iceland, and you'll reach St Mary's Restaurant at St Mary in the Castle, which is part of the, nearly 200 years old, Grade II* listed Pelham Arcade, which was, and is, a rare and early example of a semi-underground shopping arcade, built in the style of, and just after, the prestigious Burlington Arcade in London. 

Work on restoring the glass roof above the internal walkway, and providing timber shop fronts in a 'traditional' style, has been going on for over 4 years now, partly funded by English Heritage grants, and in co-operation with Hastings Borough Council, who have implemented most of the early restoration to date. 

Anyway, to the food! On the modern large square plate provided, were 2 eggs, however you want them cooked (I chose fried,of course), which were nice and perfect for me, 2 rashers of well-cooked bacon, a tasty sausage, from Fishers up on London Road, "Old English" I think it may be called, a fair number of cut mushrooms, a large tomato cut into two, and plenty of baked beans; 2 slices of toast, a choice of white or wholemeal, were also supplied on a side plate. 

From my seat in St Mary's, which is a bright and airy restaurant, I had a view of the sea, and service was very friendly and efficient. The Full English Breakfast costs ￡5.55, and a pot of tea for one is ￡1.75 (plus I had a 'top up' of boiling water 'free'), so a total cost of ￡7.30 altogether. The meal was very nice, and decent value as well, especially noting the position of the restaurant. A vegetarian version is not provided at St Mary's, though a variety of 'Continental' breakfast foods are, eg croissants, Eggs Florentine, and toast. 

 

If you carry on walking about a hundred yards or so eastwards from St Mary's, and just before reaching George Street, you come to the relatively new Taylor's (nee Plato's), Marine Parade, Hastings. I sat looking out of the window here, with a view of the sea too! A very decent breakfast was enjoyed, indeed, and for just £4.90, the meal included a tasty Cumberland sausage, 2 good thick rashers of bacon, a fried egg, a choice of tomato or mushrooms (I went for the mushrooms, thank you very much), baked beans, a slice of toast and a mug of tea or coffee. 

The breakfast was well cooked by the nice young woman in their kitchen, very tasty, and excellent value, and the service was friendly. I sat in the room up to the left as you walk in (in the photograph, the window on the left under 'cafe'), which felt quite like a home environment, especially when a group of older people sat behind me, enjoying the morning and banter. Taylor's also "double up" the breakfast for £9.20, but I'm not sure that even I could eat that much, as I was pretty full eating just the 'normal' breakfast! A vegetarian version of the 'Full English' is available here, without the Cumberland sausage or bacon, of course, but with 2 vegetarian sausages and bubble and squeak included.

You can sit outside on the pavement of both venues, who provided me with excellent breakfasts and good value too, but Taylor's certainly won on value, and edged it on the meal itself, I shall return to both, no doubt about that!

Further information of the work of English Heritage can be found online...