Because the aristocratic, country house hostess wanted to ensure that her guests were provided with almost any dish they might want whilst under her roof, breakfast in the English countryside was a large meal typically consisting of a good number of the following dishes: porridge, fish, eggs, bacon, sausage, black and white pudding, kidneys, brown sauce, fried bread, tomatoes and mushrooms.

The oldest dish amongst these is porridge, usually a form of some grain which has been boiled in either broth or milk. Porridge was alternately referred to as "frumenty" or "pottage" and the type of grain used much depended upon the local crops. Wheat was the mainstay in the south of England, barley and oats in the north.

Fish for breakfast is a British institution which dates from the Medieval period. In 1512, the Earl of Northumberland and his lady breakfasted upon "2 pieces of salt fish, 6 baconned herring, 4 white herring and a dish of sprats," all of which was served with bread, wine and beer. The baconned herring mentioned was smoked herring, also called red herring. Samuel Pepys wrote of the dish, "a red herring is wholesome on a frosty morning."

As time passed, red herring were split open before being smoked and came to be called "kippers," a name formerly reserved for salmon. By the 19th century, an Indian fish dish called kedgeree was being observed upon breakfast tables, after having been introduced to England by soldiers, travelers and others returning from the Colonies in India, where the dish was called "khichre." Originally, the dish was a mix of spiced lentils and rice, but by 1879 it had evolved into a more typically English dish, with Mrs. James' book, Indian Household Management, stating that kedgeree, "is composed of the remains of cold fish and is generally a breakfast dish."

Chutney and spicy sauces were also sent to the British breakfast table from India at this time. The Indians called it "chatni," and the English liked the contrast in flavor, eventually producing their own recipes for chutneys, ketsup and brown sauces. These were sent home to friends in England and proved so popular that factories were set up to produce the various recipes, which were then marketed under the name of the major or colonel who had invented the original mixture.

Bacon, sausage, and black and white puddings are all breakfast staples which originated when frugal housewives endeavored to use every last bit of the family pig. What began as simple country fare, soon found its way onto the tables of the nobility, where they joined the likes of chops, tongue, kidneys and the occasional grouse or pheasant. By the 19th century, tea and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink, bringing about another change in the breakfast table-its decor. All sorts of fancy gee gaws, gadgets and gilt were introduced to the table in order that the coffee and tea both be steeped and served properly. Ladies of the manor wasted no time in investing in coffee and tea sets, china cups and saucers, silver sugar tongs and spoons, trivets and toast racks. Not to mention new linens. But then, that's another kettle of fish entirely.