An older gentleman seated nearby told Laura he's a big fan of the breakfast at Asda. Reach's Laura Zilincanova went to try the supermarket breakfast. Reach's Laura Zilincanova has consumed countless English breakfasts since relocating to England in her late teens, building up a genuine fondness for this staple of British cuisine. Laura was therefore eager to put Asda Cafe's full English breakfast to the test.
Despite being somewhat doubtful — knowing there are far superior spots for this sort of meal — Laura kept an open mind. As part of a budget supermarket chain, she anticipated decent value for money. What Laura found, however, left her rather deflated.
The Atmosphere and Ordering
The café, situated inside one of Asda's London superstores, was virtually deserted on a Friday morning, making ordering a breeze — Laura was actually first in line. The menu boasts an extensive range, featuring smashed avocado on toast, bacon baps, breakfast wraps, and much more. For those with a sweet tooth, there were muffins, carrot cake, cookies, and scones with jam.
Despite the appealing alternatives on offer, Laura stuck to her original plan and ordered a full English breakfast (£7.72), adding mushrooms for £1.36. All told, including a Fanta, the bill amounted to a rather steep £11.50. To put that into perspective, Morrisons serves up a comparable meal (excluding the drink) for just £7.25. Laura convinced herself it would likely be worth every penny.
The Meal Experience
The meal arrived in under five minutes. Laura kicked off with the baked beans and hash brown, simply because that pairing is her personal favourite. Yet she could barely detect any flavour whatsoever. The beans were remarkably bland, as though they were swimming in lightly seasoned water. Despite the hash brown boasting a proper golden hue and looking rather promising, it carried a faintly burnt taste and, once again, very little flavour to speak of.
The bacon packed the most punch, as you'd expect, though it came with a pronounced meaty aftertaste that Laura is not particularly fond of. Even so, it was arguably the least disappointing item on the plate, and paired with the beans Laura would give it a 6/10. Far worse was the sausage, which was virtually tasteless and completely mushy, with absolutely no texture whatsoever.
The tomato resembled something straight out of a tin, almost like a purée, with an overwhelmingly acidic tang. And then there were the mushrooms — a wholly unnecessary addition that tasted like rubber. The egg was passable, but lacked seasoning and failed to deliver that satisfying runny yolk, being rather on the small side. The crowning glory? Perfectly soggy, utterly flavourless toast.
Redeeming Qualities
To give Asda its due, there were some redeeming qualities. The café itself is generously sized, spotlessly clean, and bathed in natural light — showing genuine promise. Within half an hour, around seven cheerful couples with babies had filled the space, though Laura quietly hoped none of them would be ordering the full English.
A fellow diner, an older gentleman seated nearby, told Laura he's a big fan of the breakfast at Asda. While he described the prices as "competitive", he clearly relishes the atmosphere and has a particular fondness for the café's branding.
Final Thoughts
Perhaps the only way to truly get the most out of the meal is by combining all the elements together on one forkful. Eaten separately, though, each item felt somewhat lacking in character and depth of flavour. While the breakfast certainly delivered on energy and kept hunger at bay throughout the morning, one nagging thought remained: how exactly did Laura manage to spend £11.50 on THAT breakfast?
