Egg, Bacon, Chips and Beans: 50 Great Cafes and the Stuff That Makes Them Great by Russell Davies
The Great British Fry-up: the cornerstone upon which the Empire was built; a meal for all occasions. Join us in this exquisite tribute to the most mouth-watering of all British institutions as we present a guide to the UK's best greasy spoons and a dissection of exactly what it takes to make the perfect fry-up. Based on the Yahoo award-winning website, eggbaconchipsandbeans.com, this is more than just an exquisitely designed, erudite homage to our nation's favourite dish. The book is also an indespensible guide to the finest cafes in the UK, and asks the kind of profound, life-changing questions that we have all been too afraid to ask for too long, delving deep beneath the tea-skin to find the steaming truth within. For example, what is it about tea from an urn, as opposed to tea from a kettle? How cheap can sauce get and still be called sauce? And what is Formica anyway? Is it mined or grown? This book also contains the handy bean colour-wheel (also available in egg, bacon, chip and tea) to do away with bean-hue concerns, a personal history of how the great British fry-up evolved, and an in depth discussion of the pros and cons of the sugar spout. Not forgetting the supplemental elements such as mushrooms, black pudding and fried tomatoes (does anyone really like them or are they just a token vegetable?), and how the dish varies throughout the country. Does it get fatter as you move north? More pretentious as you move south? More bitter as you move west? Do they serve Danepak bacon in Thetford? Or Pork Farms in Burton? A tongue-in-cheek, beautifully designed book that will have you laughing out loud and hungry for more.