Breakfast blogger makes shortlist

By Li-mei Hoang
BBC News, London

Mr Davies stops at cafes on his route to work

The crispiness of the bacon, comfort of plastic chairs and even the choice of wallpaper do not escape scrutiny when Russell Davies sits down to enjoy a full English breakfast.

And documenting his love of the traditional fry-up and the atmosphere found in a British cafe has earned the London author a place on the shortlist for the Lulu Blooker Prize.

A new literary award for books based on blogs or websites, Mr Davies' entry Egg Bacon Chips and Beans: 50 Great Cafes And The Stuff That Makes Them Great is among 16 books competing for the prize.

An enthusiast for cafes without an accent, Mr Davies' quest to find a good old-fashioned British cafe in London caught the eye of publishers.

I just happened to have a passion for cafes and English breakfasts Russell Davies

"Everything happened accidentally for me. It was just something that I enjoyed doing. Publishers approached me and asked me to do a book on my blog, obviously I said yes," he said.

Passing on his finds in an online diary he describes the full English breakfast as "comfort" and the cafes in which he eats them as "a nice place to hang out as well as have a decent feed".

His blog shows pictures of cafes he has visited as well as recommendations and comments about the food and surroundings.

TEN CAFES IN THE BLOG Parma Cafe, 412 Kennington Road, SE11 La Forchetta, 92 Cowcross Street, EC1 Rosa's Cafe, Hanbury Street, E1 Maries Cafe, Lower Marsh, Waterloo Cherrytop Cafe, Paddington Street, W1 Sarah's Cafe, Kentish Town Road, NW1 Metropolitan, Edgware Road, W2 E Pellicci, Bethnall Green Road, E Diana's Diner, Endell Street, WC1 Blandfords, Chiltern Street, W1

The book follows a similar format to the blog, with extra essays from the author explaining the importance of a full English breakfast.

Admitting it is unlikely he will get to visit every cafe in the world, he asks others to contribute to his site, and suggest places for him to visit.

Despite his vast experience, he claims he has no preferences between the cafes he has recommended. "They all have something special about them," he said.

But he does have strong views on what cafes in the UK should be called.

"Cafe with the accent is just too fancy.

"Cafes are already overburdened with spelling requirements and so it seems unfair to throw an accent in there as well and it takes the whole thing just a little too far upmarket."

Russell Davies celebrates the traditional British cafe in his blog

Blogging started as a hobby for Mr Davies, who lives in Great Portland Street, central London, and he has now been visiting cafes for many years.

"I just happened to have a passion for cafes and English breakfasts. They are just places that come along as I live my life.

"It was something I started to document and I started blogging because I found it remarkably easy to do."

The first winner of Blooker Prize will be announced on 3 April.