The Hobbit's Second Breakfast: a Recipe from the Shire

The Hobbit's Second Breakfast: a Recipe from the Shire

'But what about second breakfast?' is one of the greatest memes of The Lord of the Rings. Hobbits eat up to seven times a day, and second breakfast is an important ritual. It is a hymn to simple pleasures: fresh bread, jam, eggs, bacon and garden tomatoes.

History and origin

Tolkien created hobbits as an embodiment of the English rural way of life with its attachment to comfort, cosiness and good food. Second breakfast is a parody of the traditional English full breakfast, served a little later than usual.

Key ingredients

Second breakfast menu from the Shire: freshly baked bread (sourdough ideally), butter and several jams, fried or boiled eggs, bacon, garden tomatoes, fried mushrooms and a mug of hot tea or milk.

How to cook at home

For Shire-style sourdough use a mix of plain and wholegrain flour — it is more aromatic. Shape the loaf the evening before, refrigerate, and bake in the morning straight from the cold.

This recipe will transport you to the atmosphere of your favourite film or series right at your dining table.