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    Breakfast of Champions: Guide to Breakfast in Ireland

    By Dawn Rainbolt, PR Manager
    More by Dawn

    Irish Breakfast Recipes

    You’ve probably heard it said before – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Adventuring through Ireland means your body needs a full belly from the very start of the day. Sampling the local breakfasts is also a great introduction to any country’s culinary culture, particularly Ireland. But just what kind of Irish breakfast meals should you try?

    Before hiking or cycling through the Irish countryside and wilderness, it’s important to fuel up with some delicious Irish breakfast recipes. Check out a few of our favourite pre-adventure breakfast recipes below.

    Which Breakfast Recipe Will you Taste First?

    The Full Irish Breakfast

    Full Irish Breakfast

    The full Irish Breakfast

    We have to start this list off with the big classic. The full Irish breakfast will keep you going at full capacity all day long! Designed to fill up Irish workers before a long day out on the fields, today the full Irish breakfast is generally a Sunday brunch kind of meal – but though we eat it less often then in the past, we love it just as much!Though not complicated, there are a few essential components necessary for a proper full Irish breakfast.

    Ingredients:

    • Rashers (bacon)
    • Sausages
    • Black pudding
    • White pudding
    • Eggs
    • Veg – Mushrooms & tomato
    • Baked Beans
    • Irish soda bread
    • Cup of tea (or coffee)

    Full Irish Breakfast Recipe:

    Start with the meat. In a frying pan, fry up the rashers (roughly 2-3 per person) in a bit of creamy Irish butter. Cook the rashers – thin slices of bacon – Irish style, meaning that they are lightly fried instead of crispy. Next, move on to the sausages – fry them up in the same pan.

    Slice the black and white puddings, cut the tomatoes in half, and slice the mushrooms. Add everything to the frying pan until lightly browned. Warm up the baked beans in a small separate saucepan.

    Move on to the eggs. While fried eggs (or sunny side up ) are the most traditional, there’s nothing stopping you from scrambling your eggs! Use the same pan as you used for the other ingredients for more flavour!

    Serve with a couple of slices of Irish soda bread (see below for the recipe) topped with creamy Irish butter. Pair with a cup of tea with milk. When it comes to tea in Ireland, there are two camps: Lyon’s tea or Barry’s tea (the country is fairly split between the two brands of tea – choose wisely!).

    Whiskey Porridge

    Porridge

    For those of you who don’t want that much meat in the morning, how about a little porridge – Irish style. Check out our wilderness whiskey porridge for a superb Irish breakfast to get your adventure off to an amazing start.

    Ingredients:

    • Flahavans Organic Oats (1 small cup per person)
    • Whole Milk (1 small cup per person)
    • Honey
    • Walnuts
    • Mixed seeds
    • Irish Mist Whiskey Liqueur
    • Cinnamon

    Wilderness Whiskey Porridge Recipe:

    1. Place the oats, milk and a dash of cinnamon in a bowl, cover and leave to soak in the fridge overnight. If this is not possible, just give them the longest pre-soaking you can manage.
    2. On the stove, slowly bring to a boil, continually stirring.
    3. Add a dash of Irish Mist whiskey liqueur, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 mins.
    4. Add a large dash of milk to loosen, a few stripes of honey, a sprinkle of mixed seeds and a slowly sinking tower of crushed walnut to serve.

    Irish breakfast recipe perfected by Darragh Devaney, Co. Sligo, on our cycling trip, Biking Donegal from Cliffs to Coast.

    Salmon, Avocado & Eggs

    Breakfast Avocado Toast

    Fish for breakfast? In Ireland, indeed, we do.

    Okay, so the avocado is a very recent addition to this traditional recipe, but it’s a good one, hence why it’s on the list. Traditionalists may leave off the avocado and simply go for the salmon and scrambled eggs. Another variation of this recipe uses poached eggs instead of scrambled eggs.

    Ingredients:

    • Eggs – roughly 2-3 per person
    • Thinly sliced Irish salmon
    • Bread of your choice – sliced
    • Butter
    • Oregano/mixed herbs/pepper for seasoning
    • Lemon slice

    Recipe:

    Start off by mashing the avocado in a small bowl.

    Next, whisk your eggs with herbs/seasoning – for extra creamy eggs, stir in a few tablespoons of milk or even creme fraiche. Melt Irish butter in a pan, adding in the egg mixture. Stir routinely and cook until soft. Keep warm.

    Finally, find the toast of your choice. Though toasting is the easiest way, next time, try grilling the bread for a better flavour. Paint with olive oil and grill each side of the toast in the pan until golden brown.

    Once done, spread the avocado onto the bread. Add the scrambled eggs, then top with the fresh Irish salmon. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Use a lemon slice to squeeze lemon juice over the top, and voila.

    Irish Soda Bread

    Irish soda bread

    Irish soda bread

    Irish soda bread is an important component to meals throughout the day. Best eaten when topped with some of Ireland’s best butter, Irish soda bread is one of Ireland’s most traditional recipes. For most Irish, the smell of Irish soda bread baking equates to evokes images of an afternoon at grandmas.

    Ingredients:

    • 450g/1lb Odlums Self Raising Flour
    • 1 level teaspoon Odlums Baking Powder
    • Pinch of Salt
    • 2 dessertspoons Sugar
    • 50g/2oz Butter or Margarine
    • 1 Egg, beaten
    • 250-300ml/½pt Milk (approx)
    • 125g/4oz Shamrock Sultanas or Raisins (optional)

    Irish Soda Bread / Brown Bread Recipe:

    1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Lightly dust a flat baking tray with flour.
    2. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix well.
    3. Rub the butter/margarine into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sultanas or raisins, if used, and mix through.
    4. Finally, add the egg and sufficient milk to make a soft dough, not too wet or sticky. Turn onto a lightly floured board and gently knead, just enough to bring the dough together.
    5. Transfer to the prepared baking tray and shape into a round about 4cm/1½” deep. Cut a cross on top.
    6. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown and tapping underneath produces a hollow sound. Serve freshly baked and spread with butter.

    This Irish breakfast recipe created by Odlums.

    Irish Scones

    Irish scones recipe

    Irish scones

    Paired with a steaming cup of tea, scones are a delicious addition to any Irish breakfast – or even for a yummy snack.

    Ingredients:

    • 3 1/3 cups of flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
    • 3/4 cup raisins
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 2 large eggs, beaten to blend
    • 1/4 cup whipping cream
    • Additional butterjam and whipped cream

    Irish Scones Recipe:

    Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. While that’s heating, butter the baking sheet. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and sugar together in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Blend in the butter until your mixture resembles crumbs. Add in the raisins, and then gradually stir in the buttermilk and eggs until your mixture resembles a soft dough. 

    Move the dough onto a flat, floured surface in order to roll out into a circle, roughly 1 inch thick. Cut scones with a round biscuit cutter (suggested size is 2-inch diameter). Put all the scones onto the baking sheet, brush lightly with some whipped cream, and bake roughly 15 minutes, until golden brown.

    Irish breakfast scones are traditionally served warm with butter and jam of your choice.

    This Irish scones recipe was created by Bunratty Castle.

    Irish Coffee

    Irish Coffee Whiskey

    You’ve heard of that infamous Irish coffee, eh? Though probably more of an evening drink, since it has coffee in it, we’ll include it on the list of Irish breakfast recipes.

    Ingredients:

    • Half whipped cream
    • Coffee (of your choice)
    • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
    • Irish whiskey of your choice

    Irish Coffee Recipe:

    Traditionally, Irish coffee is consumed in a clear, stemmed glass. For the best results, it’s best to preheat the glass with hot water.

    Brew the coffee of your choice – the stronger, and the richer the coffee, the better. Once that is brewed, add two teaspoons of brown sugar to the bottom of your warmed glass.

    Stir in the coffee so that it mixes with the sugar. Next, stir in the whiskey using the amount of your preference. Finally, add the cream. Best to use half whipped cream, which you’ll pour gently on top and serve.

    For this recipe, you can use the whiskey of your choice, but you may want to experiment with a few different kinds.

    Recipe put together by the Granville Hotel, Co Waterford. 

    Taste Ireland

    Meet the Author: Dawn Rainbolt

    American by birth but European in spirit, Dawn has called the US, Costa Rica, Spain, England, Poland, France and now Ireland home over the years. While she has travelled to more than 30 countries, she has fallen in love with the rich Irish culture and sweeping landscapes of Ireland. Armed with a Masters Degree in Tourism Marketing and a love of writing and photography, she is Wilderness Ireland's Marketing Executive since 2017.

    View profile More by Dawn

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