What is it about British holiday makers and full breakfast?

[MonaLisaDoesntSmile]

The other day I was wathing randomly Four in a Bed. The hosting B&B had an amazing (for me) choice of breakfast foods- loads of nice cereal, yoghurts, fresh fruit, cold meats, cheeses, freshly baked bread, most locally picked/made, seasonal whenever possible. Every couple on the show complained that there was no cooked breakfast option and rated the B&B really low on the breakfast front because they didn't get to have their fry-up.
Another time I watched snippets of a programme showing people to travelling around France, again all complaining that they don't get to have their bacon and beans, but were offered French breakfast instead. There was a time when I worked in a hotel abroad over the summer and likewise saw plenty of British tourists who would refuse to have breakfast if they didnt get their fried eggs and would moan there was no bacon or fried beans. Now mind you, I love eggs for breakfast, but I also ate plenty of other stuff that are available.

Asking here as I am a foreigner and back home we are not really religious about our breakfasts- sometimes we have cooked breakfast, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes cereal, and I have never in my life met a fellow countryman who would complain as much about not having specific foods on offer, especially when abroad. And out of all the British people I know, very, very few actually have a fry up for breakfast, not mentoning having it every day. I didn't get that vibe to from tourists from other countries, not the same extent at least.

I know that while abroad or generally on holiday you sometimes want to eat something familiar, but don't really understand why people are so upset to not have the food they don't even eat at home every day offered while away every day?

I wouldn't expect or want it abroad but in the UK it is traditional and it's what i expect when on holiday in the uk 🤷🏽‍♀️

I just never experienced it in cases of breakfasts elsewhere. - Really OP? Really? You need to travel a bit more. And meet a few more Brits. (And FYI there a huge number of "Brits" who do in fact have cultural traditions that DO NOT fit the "English" rigid, old-fashioned stereotype that you portray)

I like it in the UK as it's a rare thing and a treat. Plus, it means don't need to buy lunch. But, no, wouldn't occur to me have one outside of the UK.

Yeah, fair point Passthecherrycoke

Soooo has the OP told us which country she's from, or has she just spent the whole thread alluding to it?

Genuine question as I've only skimmed it but generally the non British Brit bashers, never say which country they're from as apparently it's always 'outing'

I'm with the OP on this one. I've had a few German breakfast buffets recently and they were amazing. Lots of different cheeses, meats to choose from, multiple kinds of cereals, breads, pastries, fresh fruit, some veg (cucumber, cherry tomatoes), jams, etc. Could I have bought all those things? Yes, but I would have had to buy at least 25 different items. I never have that kind of variety at home so it felt like a real treat.

I love a fried breakfast, but I love a good continental (German, maybe Scandinavian) breakfast even more.

Cereal and loads of sugary fruit is probably hands down the shittest breakfast I can think of to ever have. Absolutely grim. You want protein and fats. Which is why the 'traditional' breakfast is mostly just that.

I'm with you. british people can be pigs! i couldn't enjoy what constitutes a fried breakfast probably even once a year. we have poached or scrambled eggs, toast most days because we find that sets us up for the day well. we also have avocado, salmon, a small quantity of bacon, tomatoes as and when. and we make smoothies. or i make tortilla or my current favourite: shakshuka with loads of feta. but baked beans, sausages, fried bread etc? bleurgh id be digesting that all day and not in a good way. i love a european hotel style breakfast with cold meat, cheese, pastries, fruit. mm!

The people on Four in Bed are often miserable fuckers, anyway, OP. They don’t represent all Brits. And they vote down other b&b breakfasts out of spite a lot of the time, I think. I watched one episode where a couple were outraged that they weren’t offered eggs benedict at breakfast. They were foaming at the mouth with indignation .

It's part of the whole B&B experience i.e. you get a bigger breakfast than you'd have at home.
It's stupid to expect that abroad of course but some people only go abroad for the weather and are not interested in experiencing a different lifestyle. It's not just British people - I've seen French people complain about not having free bread with everything and having tea/coffee served with their cooked breakfast rather than after it. And then try to follow some Spanish people travelling here and listen to what they say about the food!

decades & decades ago our first night in Australia & had breakfast the next day -lord I can still remember it! ahem: sausage, eggs mushrooms tomatoes chips beans bacon kidneys & several lamb chops & toast & tea & fresh pineapple juice & cereals ……..

It's one of the USPs of a B&B I think. Generally if I'm staying in a B&B for a week, I'll have the full English the first day, then after that go to a boiled egg or bacon sandwich for the rest of the week. I couldn't eat all that food every morning. When I was growing up, it was a weekend treat my mother cooked for anyone who wanted it, but mostly only my father did. To this day I'll only have eggs or bacon for breakfast at the weekend, normally.

I don't know, OP, I'm British and have always hated fryups. The worst thing is when you're in a B and B and say 'no thank you' politely they look at you as if you have two heads and try and persuade you to have something cooked. It's a bit like being teetotal when people try and persuade you to have a drink, like they just can't accept that you know what you want to eat and drink.

I’m certainly not paying a tenner for some rice fucking crispies. I have to go to Germany a fair bit with work and the breakfasts at hotels there are invariably wank - stinky cold meats, and all sorts other garlic-y stuff that repeats on you all morning. Food-wise, English breakfast is one of the few meals we get right.

It's just tradition. Most Brits don't have a cooked breakfast at home, but it's tradition to have it in hotels - just another luxury and part of the hotel experience really.

When we go self catering, it never even crosses our minds to have a cooked breakfast - it's bread rolls/croissants and cereals. But in a hotel, we have cooked breakfast. No particular reason, just part of the overall experience. In fact, when choosing hotels, we often choose on the basis of whether they offer a cooked breakfast.

As for people complaining when it's not provided - sorry, but that's unreasonable as it's up to them to research/ask what the breakfast options are. Only if a hotel or B&B says a cooked breakfast is provided do guests have the right to leave complaining reviews.

Of course a real Mumsnetter wouldn't be able to eat for 3 days if they had a fry up. Or possibly never be able to eat again.
If I'm away in the U.K. yes I do enjoy a cooked breakfast, it's all part of the experience of staying away from home, not every day though. On a holiday abroad most definitely not. I love the different breakfast foods that are offered.

The other thing with a cooked breakfast is that we'd usually skip lunch (or have a very light lunch). If we've had a lighter breakfast, then we'd have a more substantial lunch. So it's not doubling up on food/calories (not for us anyway).

@feelingverylazytoday

Your post made me laugh. So true! It’s worse in Irish B&Bs. I’ve had looks that would kill for turning down a fry up.

I guess people want a treat when staying away and a fry up is a treat. I prefer a continental breakfast myself but would like the option of either.

Tsk @Butterisbest a real MN couldn’t possibly eat and English breakfast but is a- ok on when consuming scrambled eggs salmon and avocado

If someone on Four in a Bed stays somewhere that charges twice as much and offers a cold spread, this immediately gets backs up (even if it’s in a more affluent part of country offering more location wise). One reason for this is that as part of the hosting, people expect to be attended to and cooked for (something they may not usually do at home, or in the case of the guests on the programme, they cook all week and expect the same in return).

I’m not fussed about a full English (I prefer poached eggs on toast - the FIAB nemesis!) or smoked salmon, but if you are staying somewhere and then plan to be out all day, then the full English is perfect. And I guess it is a bit disappointing if you gear up for a warm breakfast and are offered some yoghurt and a pastry to keep you going!

I don’t go on what you are describing as a Brits abroad type holiday (nothing wrong with that if that’s your thing), and prefer to self cater. This for us means two meals a day. One mid morning and one mid evening. DH prefers to have a cooked breakfast, and I’ll either have local, or sometimes a cooked depending on how I feel. In might also have a glass of something which I wouldn’t do at home.

PP’s are right - a cooked breakfast is a treat (and even better when you don’t have to wash up). I can’t comment on what other nationalities do abroad for their breakfast (although I agree with some PP’s, they probably don’t want the bacon as it’s not great!)

@Passthecherrycoke
Yes, good point, fried food.... help I'm about to pass out....shock horror....where are my pearls, I must clutch them now

As a pp said I would presume the price of a full cooked meal is factored into the price I pay for a b&b in the UK, rather than the price of a couple of slices of meat and some fruit. I have a couple of friends who run b&bs and they've several times expressed surprise to me about guests who turn down the cooked breakfast because in their opinion these guests aren't getting their money's worth.

Also, I don't quite understand the overall tone of your post. So British b&bs who serve non British breakfasts are sophisticated and forward looking but continental hotels who sell non continental breakfasts are plebian?

I'm really fussy about breakfast when we're away (and I don't eat it at home). I like either eggs Benedict or scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and brown toast. I tend to chose my hotel based o whether I can get these two items! I like an egg chef too.

The best breakfast we've ever had is here:

www.angsana.com/en/vietnam/lang-co-central-vietnam

amazing local fruit, international stuff, stuff for the chinese visitors and local delicacies and it was amazing every day.

I mean I bet you wish you were French so you could enjoy a superior breakfast of bread, butter and a bowl of coffee. Bread and butter is SO CHIC. You wouldn’t understand because you're British.

If I was on holiday in the uk I would like a cooked breakfast to be on offer even though i find it a struggle if i have to eat it too early. I like them but never bother with them at home so they are a treat and holidays are about treats. Also a good one can fill you up til icecream/afternoon tea.

I would not expect it abroad.