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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Mark Riddaway

Bacon, beans and a side of scandal: The secret history of the full English

It’s a plate that divides opinion and defines a nation – equal parts comfort food, cultural flashpoint and culinary time capsule - (Getty/iStock)

London’s Borough Market has always been a place where appetite meets history. For centuries, it’s been a sprawling, ever-changing hub of food. Today, beneath its Victorian ironwork and on its cobbled lanes, you’ll still find flavours both old and new.

And tucked into one corner of the market, Maria’s Market Cafe continues to serve up that most enduring of meals – the full English breakfast – to everyone from delivery drivers to City execs. It’s a plate with deep roots, a complicated backstory and a surprising ability to unite us all.

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