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I tried my very first full English breakfast at Wetherspoons this week, and while it absolutely did the job, there was one thing missing that surprised me. At 9am on a Thursday, right after the branch had opened, I expected to walk into an almost empty pub. But instead, there were already seven or eight people inside: a pair of French tourists, a young couple, a father and son, two men in corporate clothes already drinking pints, and a few others sitting alone with coffees.

I grabbed a seat at a large circular table with a comfortable booth seat and ordered the "traditional breakfast". For £6.09, it comes with a fried egg, bacon, a Lincolnshire sausage, baked beans, two hash browns and a slice of toast. I also added the unlimited refill coffee for £1.85.

In central London, where you can struggle to find a latte for under £4, the price alone feels like a bargain and honestly, the Lavazza latte itself was better than expected, even better than some big coffee chains' offerings in my opinion.

The food arrived quickly and I came to understand why Wetherspoons breakfasts have such a loyal following. Summed up in three words, the meal was simple but "does the trick".

It's not a big portion and it's definitely not the best full English I've had, but it's comforting and cheap. If you want a no-frills breakfast before work, after a night out or while trying to save money, it ticks the right boxes.

Still, one thing felt noticeably absent. There was no tomato or mushrooms. For many, those are staples of a "traditional" English breakfast, so it felt odd not seeing either on the plate. As it turns out, you only get them with the large breakfast option, which costs £7.69.

Even though the standard version is cheaper, I still expected at least a small tomato or mushroom to justify the "traditional" label.

The portion sizes were also smaller than I expected. The hash browns were tiny and lacked much flavour, while the sausage, although actually quite nice, was on the small side too.

Nothing tasted bad, but a lot of it felt bland. The scrambled egg could have done with some seasoning, the bacon had quite a lot of fat on it and overall the breakfast could have benefited from larger portions and a bit more flavour.

That said, it's hard to complain too much considering the price. Wetherspoons clearly isn't trying to serve a luxury brunch experience and it doesn't pretend to be anything other than a cheap, reliable breakfast. And in that sense, it succeeds.