The English Breakfast Society maintains a public register of establishments that serve what we class as a proper English breakfast. “Approved” status is issued to places that demonstrate a clear understanding of what an English breakfast is, what it is not, and how it should be prepared.
An approved establishment serves a recognisable English breakfast built around the correct core components, prepared properly, and offered as a complete plate during its stated breakfast service. Approval concerns the breakfast itself rather than atmosphere, service, value for money, or popularity.
It answers a single question, is this a proper English breakfast or not?
A proper English breakfast is not infinitely flexible; it has a defined core. To meet the Society’s baseline standard, a breakfast must include British bacon, British sausages, British eggs, and British black pudding. Together, these elements form the foundation of the dish. If any one is missing, the standard is not met. A proper English breakfast should feel complete and recognisably full, rather than minimal.
Beyond this core, the breakfast should be prepared in a manner that respects the tradition from which it comes. Ingredients should be appropriate, cooking should be careful and considered, and the plate should be assembled deliberately for presentation, presented with care, and served with pride.
Traditional accompaniments such as beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread, bubble and squeak, or toast may be included where appropriate; they support the plate, but they do not define it.
Taken together, these principles define the English Breakfast Society’s baseline approval standard: a recognisable English breakfast, properly prepared and presented with care. Approval is concerned with preserving the integrity of the breakfast itself, ensuring it remains true to the tradition it represents.
Approval confirms the presence of a proper English breakfast and is granted on a simple pass-or-fail basis, recorded annually by the Society. It does not rank breakfasts or venues, publish scores, reviews, or “best of” lists, compare one establishment to another, or constitute advertising or a promise of custom. Approved establishments may display the English Breakfast Society Approved mark for the year of approval only with the Society’s permission.
Establishments wishing to be considered for approval may submit an application here.
