Breakfast burger

A toasted burger bun filled with a sausage patty and fried egg is the classic starting point. You might add bacon, cheese and brown sauce or ketchup; hash browns make a popular side.

Shape sausage meat into a flat patty so it cooks evenly, then fry it and cook until the centre reaches 70°C for 2 minutes. Fry an egg, toast the cut sides of the bun, and assemble while everything is hot.

Toast the cut sides of the bun and add wet sauces just before serving. Let fried bacon or the sausage patty drain briefly on kitchen paper, and avoid stacking hot ingredients on a cold, untoasted bun.

Cook the sausage patties and bacon ahead, cool them quickly and refrigerate within 1–2 hours; use within 48 hours. Keep the bun, egg and sauces separate, then cook the egg and assemble just before eating.

A grilled or fried mushroom makes a savoury meat-free filling; a hash brown gives you a crisp potato option. For a meat alternative, use a plant-based breakfast patty and cook it according to its instructions.

Per 100 g, a breakfast wrap has slightly more energy: 247 kcal compared with 245 kcal in a breakfast burger.

The Food Standards Agency advises reheating leftovers only once, until steaming hot throughout. Remove any salad first; the filling reheats better than the bun, which can turn soft.