Two Ashby residents have taken on the mammoth challenge of trying and rating every fry-up in Ashby and here are their findings.

The Gym Boys, which is the pseudonym they have chosen to operate under, have been friends for 25 years, both enjoying going to the gym, ruby, fell-walking and, of course, a good fry-up.

Both have been married for over forty years and are very proud grandads, as well as being part of a local gym that they describe as 'more like a family.'

Here is how they decided to start this challenge and where in Ashby they found the best and best value fry-ups:

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It all started in January 2025, on a dreary rainy day, after a hard early morning session in the gym. We didn't just need breakfast - we needed a full English breakfast.

We called in to the nearest café in Ashby that was open, and over the first refreshing cuppa, the idea was born: we should visit every café in Ashby, and not just sample their full English, but we should score them too...  and so it began.

Once a month (our bodies are temples after all, so even the gym boys can't warrant such calorie laden fare more frequently than that), we would descend on different cafes and order exactly the same breakfast (as far as the menus allowed): Full English, a pot of tea and fresh orange juice.

We would mark each element, bacon, sausage, eggs, tomato, beans, mushrooms, hash browns, black pudding, fried bread, toast, plus the tea and orange juice.

Obviously, we would also score the quality of service, ambience, cleanliness, comfort, as well as value for money. It had to be proper scientific research.  During each visit, we discussed every element in detail, and ended up with a consensus score. 

Then we decided that having gone to such efforts, we should publish our results and give an award at the end of the year - The Best Ashby Breakfast Annual Awards 2025 (BABAA 2025).

Well, what a fantastic year it's been! The variations on a full English are quite eye-opening, as some will offer (in our opinion) the thinnest bacon, the cheapest sausages, battery farmed eggs, and supermarket sliced white loaves for toast, with spread rather than butter.

At the other end, it is butcher sourced meat, large, free range eggs with orange yolks, freshly baked toasted bread with real butter. Oh yes, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Tea can vary from a mug of "sawdust" tea, to a China pot of proper tasty "Yorkshire" type tea. 

Price is no indication of quality or quantity either. 

So at the end of our quest, where does that leave us?

In our opinion, two establishments were clear of the rest of the field, but were very closely matched and separated by the smallest of margins.

Very high quality in all aspects, and although at the higher end of prices, they were definitely not the most expensive.  We have therefore awarded a "Winner", but also a "Highly Commended" as we would recommend either cafe to anyone interested in our views. 

One other café also stood out. Whilst it couldn't quite match either of the first two in terms of overall quality, it wasn't too far behind, and we would happily return to eat there. Yet it was significantly cheaper.  So much so that we felt we had to create a third award of "Best Value". That's not the cheapest, but it's a very good quality at a very reasonable price. 

So after serious and painstaking research, in the Gym Boys humble opinion:

The Courtyard Café is our Winner.

Redz Cafe is our Highly Commended

Rose Cottage Tea Rooms is our Best Value

Many congratulations to all three. 

The Gym Boys. 

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Do you agree with their choice? Let us know in the comment section where YOU think serves the best breakfast in Ashby!

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