The argument about what should and shouldn’t be included in a Full English has raged around the breakfast table, in cafes and anywhere else that people can argue for decades.

Now, the contentious issue can finally and definitively be settled.

OK, definitively might be stretching the truth a bit – but the collective opinion of 2,000 people has got to count for something, right?

After a nationwide poll and some number-crunching of the results, seven things have been declared essential ingredients.

So if you want to tuck into the perfect Full English, this is what you should have on your plate:

  • Fried eggs
  • Smoked bacon
  • Thick sausages
  • Grilled tomatoes
  • Fried mushrooms
  • Toast
  • Baked beans

This means black pudding, fried bread and hash browns are out.

Of course, there is not actually such a thing as a ‘correct’ selection of components because it will vary based on personal tastes – and in London it seems our tastes are different to other places.

For example, Londoners are most likely to choose bubble and squeak as part of their breakfast.

Also, people in the capital are more likely to have chips with their Full English than the rest of the UK.

The research was carried out by Mitchells & Butlers - the company behind chains such as Toby Carvery, Harvester and Sizzling Pubs.

The firm’s ‘breakfast marketing expert’ (what a job!) Jo Hudson said: “There is so much debate about the Full English breakfast that we wanted to identify what Britain really wanted on its classic breakfast plate.

“We’ve discovered that there is a north-south divide when it comes to certain breakfast items. In the north, for example, they prefer unsmoked bacon and they insist on black pudding and brown sauce on their Full English. But in the south, they won’t warrant a breakfast without ketchup, smoked bacon and no black pudding.”

What are the Full English ingredients that MUST be on your plate every time and which ones do you want nowhere near your breakfast? Add your comments below or tweet us @local_london