A proper breakfast doesn’t always have to mean the full English – even if, as Mark Riddaway reveals in this month’s Borough Market column, that iconic fry-up has earned its place in British culinary lore. Still, if you’re feeling like a break from tradition (or simply want something with a bit more bite), these four recipes offer a vibrant alternative to the usual bacon-and-egg routine.
There’s eggs in purgatory, a fiery Italian twist on shakshuka from Ed Smith that swaps gentle spicing for the punch of ’nduja and sweet cherry tomatoes. Nicole Pisani reimagines egg and chips with roast fennel-scented potatoes and indulgent duck eggs – a dish that’s as good for brunch as it is for dinner.
For something lighter but no less satisfying, try Jenny Chandler’s nutty buckwheat pancakes with sharp blood orange and sweet blueberries – proof that pancakes don’t have to be beige or boring. And finally, Cynthia Shanmugalingam shares her family’s turmeric-stained Sri Lankan omelette, scattered with curry leaves, chillies and homemade pepper-cumin salt.
These are breakfasts that cross continents and push boundaries – but most of all, they remind us that the morning meal can be just as exciting as anything that comes after it.
Eggs in purgatory
Recipe by: Ed Smith for Borough Market
“This is a feisty breakfast option, differentiated from the ever-popular Middle Eastern ‘shakshuka’ because it has ’nduja, the Calabrian cured spreadable salami, as its base, as well as top notes of fresh basil instead of parsley or coriander. Below are alternative ingredients to serve one and two people. Four people (eight eggs) would require a surprisingly large sauté pan and I would recommend splitting between two vessels if you’re feeding that many (or more).”
Serves: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: medium
Ingredients:
Light olive oil
40g ’nduja
2 large cloves of garlic, finely sliced
500g cherry tomatoes
1 heaped tsp golden caster sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
20 basil leaves
4 medium eggs
Equipment:
1 medium sauté pan or skillet, suited to holding 2 eggs
Method:
1. Put the sauté pan or skillet over a low heat, add a dash of light olive oil and the nduja. Allow the ’nduja to warm for 1 minute and begin to melt (not fry), poking the paste a little and spreading it around the pan while the fat turns from solid to liquid. Add the garlic slices and cook for 1½ mins, softening rather than browning the garlic.
2. Put the tomatoes in the pan, along with 50ml water. Increase the heat to medium and place a lid on top, leaving for 10 minutes so that the tomatoes start to release their juices, split and sink down a bit. Stir after 5-6 minutes to check the tomatoes are boiling, not burning, and squash them with a fork to encourage their collapse.
3. After that time, remove the lid and let the tomatoes cook for 5 minutes more, reducing and thickening a little. Add the sugar, vinegar and a heavy pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper, then stir half the basil leaves in.
4. Once the basil leaves have wilted, create two (or four) areas for the eggs to be cooked in, by pushing the remnants of the tomatoes around. Crack the eggs in and put the lid back on top. Cook for 3 minutes.
5. Garnish with the remaining basil leaves and a good glug of peppery olive oil and serve with toast spread with ’nduja (for those who like things hot).
Duck egg and fennel potatoes
Recipe by: Nicole Pisani for Borough Market
“This versatile recipe is my take on the classic weekday favourite ‘egg and chips’. You can use hen’s eggs, but duck eggs are a real treat. I was recently on a silent retreat in Bali where the main source of protein came from duck eggs and it reminded me how delicious they are. You might want to add some roast ham from the deli or mix in some carrot batons with your potatoes for extra veg.”
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
500g new potatoes, halved, or Desiree potatoes, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp fennel seeds
Zest of 1 lime
1 heaped tsp vegetable bouillon stock powder (reduced salt)
50ml water
4 duck eggs (more if hungry)
Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 140C. Dry roast the fennel seeds and lime zest on a baking tray. Remove from the oven and turn up the heat to 230C.
2. Oil a large oven tray (with raised sides), scatter over the potatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Scatter over the fennel seeds and onion slices, then splash with the water. Place in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes – depending on your potatoes you may need longer.
3. Fry the duck eggs and serve with the potatoes.
Buckwheat pancakes with blood orange and blueberries
Recipe by: Jenny Chandler for Borough Market
“Buckwheat is not a true cereal, but a seed related to rhubarb. It does, however, behave like a grain and is especially good for making noodles and pancakes. These are more of an American pancake than a French galette, and work just as well with savoury ingredients – such as grated cheese, ham, leek or smoked salmon – as they do sweet. “
Makes: 12
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Difficulty: medium
Ingredients:
125g wholegrain buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg
250ml whole milk
20g unsalted butter
Runny honey, to serve
1 punnet of blueberries, washed
2 blood oranges, segmented
Method:
1. Mix the buckwheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon and a pinch of salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.
2. Separate the egg, taking care not to break the yolk. Place the white in a clean bowl (ready to whisk up in a minute) and tip the yolk into the well in the flour. Break up the yolk with a fork, add the milk and then stir until the batter is just combined. Beat the white into soft peaks and fold into the pancake batter.
3. Heat a large frying pan and add about a quarter of the butter. Once the pan is hot and the butter bubbling, add a large serving spoon of the mixture to the pan. You should be able to fry two or three pancakes at a time. Keep the heat at a medium temperature and turn each pancake when its surface is covered in bubbles. Fry for 2 mins more, until browned.
4. Keep the pancakes on a preheated plate and cover with foil or a napkin while you finish frying the rest of the batter. Wipe the frying pan with a paper towel and then add another tiny knob of butter between batches. Serve the pancakes warm, with a good spoonful of honey, a few blueberries and orange segments.
Sri Lankan turmeric omelette
Recipe by: Cynthia Shanmugalingam
“This is a favourite breakfast dish; one my mum cooks when she’s taking orders for breakfast at the weekends from her grandson, Thierry, who may be only six but knows what’s up. You can have it on its own with something fresh like a little dill, lime and watercress salad, perhaps with some soft white bread, too. It’s very easy and quick: just softened onions, a little garlic, curry leaves, turmeric and green chillies. Don’t skimp on seasoning, with plenty of salt, black pepper and cumin – an amazing mix called milagai seeraham in Tamil.”
Serves: 1-2
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Ingredients:
A pinch of cumin seeds
A pinch of black peppercorns
3 large organic or free-range eggs
¾ tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil
½ red onion, peeled and finely sliced (or 2-3 spring onions, chopped into 2cm pieces)
1-2 green chillies, sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
7-8 fresh curry leaves
Method:
1. For the pepper-cumin salt, toast the cumin seeds and peppercorns in a small dry frying pan over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl to cool, then blitz in a spice grinder or mini food processor until fine and keep aside for later. In a bowl, whisk the eggs together with the salt and turmeric until frothy. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan around 20-25cm wide over a medium heat. Add the onion (or spring onions), green chillies, garlic and curry leaves. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, so that the onion softens; don’t allow it to crisp, and don’t cook past the point that the chillies and curry leaves are still bright green.
3. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan, wait 30 seconds for the oil to get hot, and then pour in the eggs. Keep cooking over a medium heat and use a spatula to pull the edges in as they set, tilting the pan to spread the uncooked egg around. Continue this motion of pulling the edges in and tilting all around the pan, until the omelette is almost set, which will take around 2-3 minutes.
4. Fold in half and serve, dusting generously with pepper-cumin and a little extra salt.
Recipe from ‘Rambutan’ by Cynthia Shanmugalingam (Bloomsbury, £26).
Borough Market is one of London’s oldest and most renowned food markets, operating as a charitable trust that supports its community of shoppers, traders and neighbours. Located near London Bridge, the market has been a hub for traders and food lovers for over 1,000 years. For more information, visit boroughmarket.org.uk.
