By Jonathan Hatchman, Food Editor, @TLE_Food
As far as household designer brands are concerned, few pride themselves on being so quintessentially British as Burberry. At the culmination of the 21st century, it’s no secret that the brand’s signature plaid did suffer from becoming a Prole Drift staple in accordance with the birth of Chav culture, and as a result tawdry imitations of scarves, baseball caps and all sorts of tasteless reproductions soon became available on just about every British market stall. However, the luxury brand has now cast off the unfortunate media and culture image, and the brand’s public image is now booming once again, with a collection of extremely luxury goods that haven’t been sourced from Romford Market.
Tying in with a recent refurbishment of the brand’s London flagship store on Regent Street, a brand new all-day café – Thomas’s – has been opened within the space dedicated to personalised experiences and gifting. Focusing the menu on British produce (as expected) that’s sourced from small farms and artisan suppliers, Thomas’s is also offering a brand new breakfast menu, allowing Londoners to sample Breakfast at Burberry. Offering a selection of morning treats; the menu includes British classics split into four sections: ‘Fruits and Cereal’, ‘Barradale Eggs’, ‘From The Aga’, and ‘Thomas’s Breakfast’. Set out not dissimilarly from The Wolseley – a nearby breakfast institution – the latter section includes a choice of their take on the classic Full English or a bacon roll with mushroom ketchup, while the Aga oven offers toasted teacakes, crumpets and toast. Unsurprisingly, the main focus is upon the eggs, scrambled with smoked salmon, boiled with soldiers, poached or scrambled with bacon, fried with black pudding or served with avocado. The avocado option ordered by my companion, the latter is particularly promising and especially topical following the recent ‘avocado-gate’ media backlash triggered by Nigella Lawson. True proof that simplicity and quality ingredients are often key, a generous spread of nuclear green avocado is smashed and served atop a slice of toast, finished with a perfectly poached egg with its yolk that, once pierced, cascades rich amber fluid in place of sauce. My Full English, on the other hand, is also a pleasant way to begin a long, cold day. As mentioned, the eggs are great, but it’s the unhealthily tantalising portions of pork that are most impressive. Two strips of Eastleach bacon are cooked to the ideal level of crispiness; working in harmony with the eggs, as do the sausage and barrel of Tamworth black pudding. All of this is completed with a grilled tomato, mushroom and a choice between 100% rye, sourdough or buttermilk toast.
Although it’s unlikely that breakfast at Burberry will act as the name for a stone cold classic novella in the near future, a trip to Regent Street to sample the breakfast offering is sure to fight off “the mean reds” with just as much effectiveness as those Tiffany & Co excursions of Holly Golightly – the American fictional icon from Truman Capote’s ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.
Thomas’s can be found within Burberry’s Regent Street flagship store, or via its main entrance at 5 Vigo St, London, W1B 4TB.
