Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, filling your body with energy and nutrients needed to go about your work or business.
And while many may opt for a cheap and cheerful bowl of cereal, or a couple of slices of toast with a topping of their choice at home - some may need to catch a quick bite to eat on the way to the office or place of work.
Many fast food establishments offer breakfast menus up until a certain time where punters can find classic staples. And while some of them deliver in terms of taste and value for money, others fall completely short of expectations, leaving customers completely unsatisfied.
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But which fast-food chain offers the best value for money in terms of breakfast goods?
I decided to head down to local branches of popular fast-food and café chains to see what all the fuss is about. Here's what I made of the experience.
McDonald's:
McDonald's breakfast menu is no doubt one of the most well rounded and enjoyed not only in the United Kingdom, but also across the entire world. Chances are, at some point in your life you've tucked into one of their staple McMuffins or pancakes and syrup dishes, and discovered that although unhealthy, they're incredibly moreish.
In the UK alone, McDonald's boasts a number of dishes until 11am for delivery or pick-up including a number of breakfast rolls, McMuffins, yoghurts, porridge bowls and pancakes - all of which for a reasonable price. They also serve their hot McCafe drinks throughout the day, with coffees, teas and hot chocolates alike for those who enjoy a warm beverage.
I decided to order in the coveted double sausage and egg McMuffin - which is priced at £3.09 by itself or £4.49 as a meal, complete with a hash brown and tea.
The McMuffin is also available with bacon, bacon and egg, or egg and cheese with the meat options available in single or double sizes. I'm no stranger to the double sausage and egg staple from Maccies, and I can hand on heart say that I've never had a bad one - and when ordering one for my breakfast this morning, the trend continued with it failing to disappoint.
A decent sized sandwich all in all, containing salty but succulent double sausage patties - layered with a signature fried egg and cheese. For £3.09 it's a treat from start to finish, with all of the flavours complementing the next - from the flavourful meat filling to the flour dusted muffin its wrapped in.
My only qualm is that McDonald's have still failed to master a runny egg, which is the only thing that could make their creation any better.
Score: 5/5
Greggs:
Are you really a northerner if you haven't made the most of a Gregg's breakfast? If that's the case, then I can now officially classify myself as one - after chomping down on one of their marvellous breakfast rolls, which are served until 11am.
What's interesting about Greggs is that they offer a breakfast deal - made up of a sandwich and hot drink for a reasonable price of £3.10, perfect for on the go workers in need of a traveling lunch. The sandwich options are everything you could expect from a breakfast menu, with sausage, bacon and egg omelettes present in either soft baps or crunchy baguettes - with punters allowed to mix and match their choice.
As a fan of a soft butty, I opted for the bacon, sausage and egg omelette roll, lathered in tomato ketchup for £3.15 on JustEat. Although with that being said, I understand the price may vary in store compared to ordering on the delivery platform.
It arrived soon after and it was the epitome of perfection. A little over palm-sized in appearance, the staff at Greggs didn't skimp on any of the ingredients, with two rashers of salted back bacon, delicious pork sausages and an almost perfectly square egg omelette.
Taste-wise, Greggs is the real deal in many of their products and it certainly transfers over to their breakfast menu too. Although the egg looked slightly overcooked and dry, I was pleasantly surprised that it packed a punch, complementing the hearty sausage and bacon bravado which cut through.
Greggs also use their own in-house baked buns for their sandwiches, and you can definitely taste the difference in quality when compared to your average store-bought Warburtons or Hovis. My only complaint is that the bacon was slightly underdone for my liking, making it a little chewy rather than crispy - but I enjoy my pork practically cremated so it can certainly be forgiven.
Score: 4/5
Subway:
I was quite frankly surprised to find that Subway even had a breakfast menu to offer punters, as it's not very well advertised on UK shores by the American-founded sandwich chain. But when I discovered that it was actually a thing, I wasted no time in heading down to my local to trial and test it.
As well as having the usual six-inch or footlong bacon, sausage, egg and cheese staples you would expect from any decent breakfast bar - they also boast a creation known as the Mega Melt. Comprising of soft-boiled eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheese - you can enjoy the sandwich cold as is or hot for £3.29.
I decided to once more add ketchup to mine as my sauce of choice, and had at it while it was still hot.
What I will say from the offset and throughout is that like most Subway sandwiches, presentation isn't exactly an art that they've mastered - with it looking nothing like the pictures and quite visually unattractive. The eggs which are supposed to be bouncy on the outside but runny in the middle were completely rubbery, and the bacon looked quite frankly raw.
The sausage was a little pale too and the whole sandwich appeared to be completely squished and flattened. However, if you can make it past the vulgar appearance of the sub itself, you'll be rewarded - somewhat - in the taste.
In terms of sandwiches, I won't lie, it probably ranks bottom of the pile - but that's not to say that the taste is terrible. The sausage at subway is far tastier than the Greggs' option, and the bread, as always is fantastic. But the other fillings left a lot to be desired.
The bacon was stringy and chewy, more textured like ham than a rasher of cooked streaky itself, and the eggs were very disappointing. I always find that Subway is stingy on the amount of cheese they put on their products too, so if you're a bit of a dairy fiend like me, it might be worth doubling down for the extra additional charge.
Score: 2/5
Costa Coffee:
I've professed before that I'm not a massive fan of Costa's food, after comparing their sausage rolls with other chain bakeries in a previous article. However, their drinks selection is actually second to none in my opinion, maybe even better than a Starbucks.
Costa have a selection of different options for hungry diners on a morning, including the usual breakfast baps and vegan options for the non-meat eaters - which I'll give them praise is a classy touch. But the standout item for me while browsing the fridge was the all day breakfast box.
Comprising of British pork sausages, smoked bacon, free range scrambled egg, Heinz baked beans, roasted mushrooms & fresh cherry tomatoes - on the face of things it seems like a deal and a half for just £4.50, when compared to greasy spoon cafe's who sometimes charge upwards of £10.
And the staff at Costa are more than happy to cook the food for you to sit in or takeaway, depending on your personal choice of where you want to dine. I also opted for a cappuccino to wash it down with, as like I say, Costa is the place to go for hot beverages.
On the face of things, the All Day Breakfast Box looks unappetising and messy - due to it being stored and cooked in a small cardboard box - but the tastes and textures are a real treat to behold. The scrambled egg is far from dry, and has a real buttery taste to it, the sausages are small but a real treat, full of flavour, and the bacon to my delight is crisped to within an inch of its life - leaving the fat incredibly crispy to the touch.
My only qualms are that the beans and mushrooms seemed to have dried out a little bit while cooking, and the cherry tomatoes were very bland to say the least. But all in all, you can't really be grumbled when the meal delivers for the most part for a very reasonable price...it's just missing a couple of slices of toast slathered in Lurpak, for me.
Score: 3/5
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