Sunday Ulster Fry
A large hot morning plate: egg, bacon, sausage, fried tomato, and above all the two griddle breads that are the signature of Ulster — soda farl and potato bread, golden in the fat.
A large hot morning plate: egg, bacon, sausage, fried tomato, and above all the two griddle breads that are the signature of Ulster — soda farl and potato bread, golden in the fat.
On Sundays at home, we'd bring out the big cast-iron pan and everyone would gather — we Quakers don't stand on ceremony, but a good fry, that's different. The secret is to brown the soda farls and potato bread in the bacon fat until they're crisp at the edges. I'd put the egg, sunny-side up, on top, and I can tell you, after that you were set until evening. Later, in Cambridge, in the freezing huts of the observatory, it was this dish I thought of.
- •Soda farls (soda bread quarters) — 2 quarters per person (griddle bread, base)
- •Potato bread — 2 slices (soft griddle bread)
- •Smoked back bacon — 2 rashers (fat and umami)
- •Pork sausage — 1 to 2 (protein)
- •Farm egg — 1 (binder, richness)
- •Tomato — 1/2 (fried freshness)
- •Dripping (rendered fat) — 1 tbsp (cooking)
Sunday Ulster Fry
A large hot morning plate: egg, bacon, sausage, fried tomato, and above all the two griddle breads that are the signature of Ulster — soda farl and potato bread, golden in the fat.
Why this dish? Jocelyn Bell grew up in Lurgan, Northern Ireland: the Ulster fry is THE weekend breakfast of that region, with its two griddle breads (soda farl and potato bread) found nowhere else. A meal of family reunion before heading back to the observatory.
On Sundays at home, we'd bring out the big cast-iron pan and everyone would gather — we Quakers don't stand on ceremony, but a good fry, that's different. The secret is to brown the soda farls and potato bread in the bacon fat until they're crisp at the edges. I'd put the egg, sunny-side up, on top, and I can tell you, after that you were set until evening. Later, in Cambridge, in the freezing huts of the observatory, it was this dish I thought of.
Ingredients (period version)
- Soda farls (soda bread quarters) — 2 quarters per person (griddle bread, base)
- Potato bread — 2 slices (soft griddle bread)
- Smoked back bacon — 2 rashers (fat and umami)
- Pork sausage — 1 to 2 (protein)
- Farm egg — 1 (binder, richness)
- Tomato — 1/2 (fried freshness)
- Dripping (rendered fat) — 1 tbsp (cooking)
Ingredients
- Soda farls (or thick-cut soda bread) — 2 quarters (griddle bread, base)
- Potato bread (potato cakes) — 2 slices (soft bread)
- Smoked bacon — 2 rashers (fat and umami)
- Quality pork sausage — 2 (protein)
- Egg — 1 per person (binder)
- Tomato — 1/2 per person (fried freshness)
- Butter or neutral oil — 1 tbsp (cooking)
Method
- Fry the sausages over medium heat in a large pan, then the bacon until crispy. Keep warm.
- In the rendered fat, fry the tomato halves cut-side down until lightly charred.
- Griddle the soda farls and potato bread in the same fat, 2 minutes each side, until golden and crisp.
- Fry the egg sunny-side up in a corner of the pan.
- Arrange everything side by side on a large warm plate and serve immediately with a teapot.
How it was made : Before gas cookers were widespread, the entire Ulster fry was cooked on a cast-iron griddle over a peat fire. Soda farls and potato bread were baked without an oven: bicarbonate and buttermilk replaced yeast, making it the food of modest, busy people.
The contemporary twist : Serve the whole on a slate board with a small pot of homemade relish, 'observatory café' style — a nod to the sleepless nights of pulsar hunting.
Sources : Florence Irwin, The Cookin' Woman: Irish Country Recipes · Theodora FitzGibbon, Irish Traditional Food
Jocelyn Bell Burnell · Charactorium
