Reviewed: The Fox and Anchor, London

The Fox & Anchor is renowned for its all-encompassing breakfast, once named the ‘Butcher’s Fry’ in recognition of the Smithfield meat market porters who would frequent the tavern after back-breaking early morning work.

Built in 1898, the Fox & Anchor not only opens at 0800 for breakfast and serves lunch and dinner, but also has six tasteful bedrooms.

The nearby City surrounds are reflected on entry with a selection of cigars and a display of Veuve Clicquot champagne bottles from miniatures to some big enough to impress even the wealthiest of bankers. The pewter-topped mahogany bar is stocked with jars of pickled eggs and cockles and dominates the interior.

Hidden down a side alley adjacent to Smithfield Market in London, The Fox & Anchor is a welcoming sight with luscious hanging baskets, sizeable beer-barrel tables and etched-glass doors. Inside, green ceiling tiles, cast-iron fireplaces, and original wooden panelling emerge out of the dim light, conjuring a real sense of Victorian England.

Tankards and old-fashioned jugs hang above, while an oyster serving area lies to the side. A small dining area is set aside at the back, a perfect place for couples, families or weary travellers to refuel.  Unsurprisingly, given its location, city workers are frequent visitors.

Trevor, an attentive and friendly barman, tells me suited types are often seen here negotiating business over a hearty meal, hidden away in one of the pub’s cosy wood-panelled alcoves. In light of this change in custom, the signature breakfast has been renamed the ‘City Boy Breakfast'.

I arrived at around 8.30am, as the market was packing up. No sooner had I sat down on one of the comfortable leather benches than I was presented with a tantalising menu of breakfast specialities including kippers, boiled duck eggs and bacon sandwiches. Other daily specials include a carvery roast, oysters and Welsh rarebit.

In a moment of sheer madness and a brief affliction of eyes bigger than belly syndrome, I opted for the big one – the City Boy.

The breakfast arrived, and at first didn’t seem too daunting. However, concealed beneath an ample serving of eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, fried bread and hash browns were lamb’s kidneys, chicken liver and black (and white) pudding; even a small piece of minute steak lurked temptingly beneath a garlic-roasted tomato. It was truly a mammoth proposition.

I was assured by Trevor that all the meat had come directly from Smithfield Market (the United Kingdom’s largest meat market), but I need not have asked; the quality was evident in the taste. Each element was cooked to perfection – the sweet-cured bacon was crispy but not too dry, the poached eggs were bursting with a golden, runny yolk, the black pudding came delicately spiced, and the harsh browns were golden and crispy.

Needless to say I failed to cross the finish line, but the flavour combinations worked well enough for me to give this marathon my best effort.

I eschewed the pint of stout (which comes as part of the breakfast) for a pint of The Fox & Anchor Ale, brewed specifically for the pub and served in a traditional pewter tankard – the perfect way to complete a hearty meal.

London is full of pubs, with more than 500 in the City of London and Westminster alone. While some establishments promise old-world charm, few actually deliver as much as The Fox & Anchor.

The pub is by no means the oldest in the city, but it has an understated charm lacking in some of its more historic neighbours. The biggest positive is that The Fox & Anchor lacks the tacky try-too-hard Olde English theme of many pubs – this is exemplified by a chalk-board scrawling above the bar which reads: “The service is unpretentious and friendly yet efficient and professional; to eat is unfussy, elbows and crumbs, bread to mop up British fayre at its simple best.” This statement encapsulates The Fox & Anchor, a London pub that should not be missed – just make sure you arrive on an empty stomach.

The Fox & Anchor
115 Charterhouse Street, Smithfield, London
Tel: (020) 7250 1300.
Website: www.foxandanchor.com
Price: Rooms from £115, based on two sharing. The City Boy Breakfast costs £16.95.