Who cooks the best Ulster Fry? Competition launched to crown Northern Ireland’s top breakfast maker
Chefs, cafés and home cooks from across Ulster invited to compete for coveted title celebrating the region’s iconic breakfast tradition
The search is on in Northern Ireland to find the best cook of the traditional Ulster Fry breakfast of fried sausages, bacon, egg and historic Northern Irish breads such as soda farls and potato cakes.
The World Ulster Fry Championships is a prestigious live cooking competition that searches for the best traditional fried breakfast.
Organised by Food NI, the Northern Ireland food and drink promotion body, and hosted in the seaside town of Donaghadee, as part of its annual Summer Festival run by Ards and North Down Council, the event invites professional chefs and home cooks from across all nine counties of the historic Ulster to showcase their culinary skills, innovation and mastery of local ingredients.
Food NI’s Michele Shirlow says: ‘We’re delighted to be helping, once again, to pinpoint the local cook who produces the best Ulster Fry, a dish that’s long been associated with Northern Ireland and further afield. The traditional breakfast has long been featured at major local events such as the Buyers’ Breakfast at the annual Balmoral Show.
“It’s a great way to highlight the excellence of some of our most popular ingredients such as pork sausages, eggs, bacon, black pudding and traditional potato and soda breads,” adds Michele.
An annual event, the grand final takes place on Saturday, August 15, 2026 and is presented on-stage by local celebrity chef Jenny Bristow.
Chefs from cafés, hotels, B&Bs, and restaurants compete live in front of an audience and a panel of judges scores the fry-ups based on: Taste and authentic flavour; Presentation and Use of local, regional produce.
Now in its fourth year, previous winners with the tastiest breakfast have included McKee’s Deli and Restaurant at Craigantlet and Stormy Cup, a popular café in Donaghadee.
The championship is likely, once again, to re-ignite whether baked beans should be included in the traditional fried breakfast. The judges tend to frown on beans being served as part of the breakfast dish.