The full English is a British staple and one that we all know and love – but one food lover recently put the Asda cafe breakfast to the test and was left with serious questions about whether it was worth the £11.50 price tag
Reach’s Laura Zilincanova has consumed her fair share of English breakfasts since relocating to England during her late teens, she has cultivated a real fondness for this staple of British dining. Laura was consequently eager to assess the full English breakfast at Asda Cafe.
While she harboured some reservations – knowing superior establishments for this type of meal – Laura stayed hopeful. Being associated with an affordable supermarket chain, Laura anticipated decent value for money.
What she experienced, though, proved more underwhelming than anticipated.
The cafe, situated within one of Asda’s London superstores, was practically deserted on a Friday morning, making ordering simple – Laura was in fact first in line.
The menu provides an extensive range, featuring smashed avocado on toast, bacon baps, breakfast wraps, and additional options. For those preferring something sweet, there were muffins, carrot cake, cookies, and scones with jam available.
Despite the appealing alternatives, Laura remained committed to her initial choice and ordered a full English breakfast (£7.72), incorporating mushrooms for an extra £1.36, reports the Express.
Altogether, including a Fanta, the total reached a substantial £11.50. By contrast, Morrisons provides a comparable meal (minus the beverage) for £7.25.
Laura told herself it would likely justify the cost. The food arrived in less than five minutes. She began with the baked beans and hash brown, purely because that pairing is her personal preference.
However, Laura could scarcely detect any flavour. The beans were remarkably bland, as though they were swimming in mildly seasoned water.
While the hash brown boasted a proper golden appearance and looked quite encouraging, it possessed a faintly burnt flavour and, once more, minimal taste generally.
The bacon delivered the most flavour, as anticipated, but it carried a distinct meaty taste that Laura doesn’t especially care for. Nevertheless, it was arguably the least underwhelming component on the plate and paired with the beans she would award it a 6/10.
Considerably worse was the sausage, which was practically flavourless and completely mushy. Absolutely no texture.
The tomato appeared more akin to a tinned product, nearly like a purée, tasting excessively acidic. And goodness, the mushrooms. What a pointless inclusion. They tasted like rubber.
The egg was passable, though it lacked seasoning and failed to provide the gratifying runny yolk effect, as it was rather small. A genuine cherry on top? The toast, thoroughly soggy.
To be fair to Asda, there were redeeming qualities too. Firstly, the café is roomy, exceptionally clean, and bathed in natural light. They certainly have potential.
Within under half an hour, the space was occupied by roughly seven contented couples with infants, though Laura found herself hoping they wouldn’t offer them the full English.
An older gentleman seated close by told Laura he loves the breakfast at Asda. While he described the prices as “competitive”, he enjoys the atmosphere and apparently really appreciates the café’s branding.
Perhaps the sole means of truly savouring the meal is by combining all the elements together. Individually, however, the components were somewhat lacking in flavour.
While the breakfast certainly provided sustenance and kept hunger at bay throughout the morning, one nagging thought remained: how exactly had Laura managed to part with £11.50 for that breakfast?
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