The Ultimate Guide To Finding The Best Ulster Fry

You can't beat a Ulster Fry up in Northern Ireland, we do love it and it also helps if your reading this with a hangover it's so good after a night on the drink.
After all 2016 is the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink, celebrating the very best in everything the country has to offer.

Like especially at weekends we want a break from all that healthy food malarkey and want something a little different, well we can help in search for the best Ulster Fry... 

So right here’s where you can have your say on the nation’s favourite breakfast location! Either comment on the post below, or tweet us @DerryVibe with your recommendations for the best Ulster Fry spot across the northwest.

What is An Ulster Fry? 

For the uninitiated who may be wondering what the fuss is all about, the Ulster Fry is the breakfast that built a country.
Until relatively recently the majority of the rural Irish worked long, physically demanding days on farms and needed a breakfast that would power them through till evening.
These days, with most of us spending our days behind a desk rather than a plough, one of these every morning would be a recipe for a short but happy life.

But here at Derry Vibe we wouldn't recommend eating a fry everyday as it's alright for an occasional treat. 

What's In It?

While each region of the UK has its own variation on the ‘Full Breakfast’, Northern Ireland does it best.

In the perfect Ulster Fry you will find:

Sausages: 

–The all-important main ingredient. Northern Irish pork sausages are plump, juicy and stuffed full of flavour. 

Bacon:

Whether you go for thick-cut back bacon or streaky, it’s hard to go wrong with bacon. Because it’s, you know, bacon. Fried, or if you must, grilled, it should be crispy but not burnt.

Breads: 

Perhaps doing more to set you up for the day than anything else on the plate, the Ulster Fry gives you two types of delicious bread.

Soda bread (pictured above) is soft with a fluffy consistency caused by adding baking soda.

Potato Bread: 

Potato bread is made from potatoes, flour and buttermilk. Both are sliced crossways and the cut side is fried until golden.
Quick note: if you’re in Coleraine or Ballymena, don’t be offended if someone offers you ‘fadge’. That’s what they call potato bread up there.

Black Pudding: 

Ok, here we go! Black pudding, known as blood pudding in some quarters, is a blend of onions, pork fat and oatmeal. And blood. It’s not unknown for people to be a little put off by the thought of eating blood, but black pudding is utterly delicious. It’s also high in protein, zinc and iron and low in carbohydrates, so it’s practically a health food. (Apart from the high saturated fats and cholesterol. We said it should only be a treat!)

White Pudding: 

With all the same ingredients as black pudding bar the blood, white pudding is equally tasty. Both black and white puddings are usually served in a traditional fry.

Tomatoes:

Good, crisp tomatoes, preferably off the vine, give a nice contrast to all the meat and breads, as well as livening up the plate with a splash of colour.

Fried Eggs: 

Two runny fried eggs top off the ultimate breakfast. As with everything, sourcing the best ingredients is vital and the perfect Ulster Fry will have farm-fresh, free-range eggs to complement the dish. A Ulster Fry isn't a fry without fried eggs to add to the plate.. 

And that's our guide to best Ulster Fry up and if you know any secret places or somewhere we should try then leave a comment below and well go and give it a go..