From the search for the best fried eggs in Merseyside to an allotment fanatic, David Higgerson takes a virtual tour of the region’s blogs.
FOR millions up and down the land, it’s the ritual which signals it’s the weekend. Instead of a rushed bowl of cereal or a bite of toast on the run, the full English breakfast, eaten at a lazy pace, is a quintessentially British pastime.
And, for Fred Chan, the weekly trip to a different café in Merseyside in his hunt for the perfect fry-up has had an unexpected result – the creation of a blog chronicling his quest.
Among the thousands of blogs generated by people in the region, Breakfast Liverpool is among the most unusual – and one of the more popular among visitors to the city.
Fred, 44, said: "I do get comments from people thanking me for setting up the blog, because it has helped them when planning a weekend in Liverpool so they know exactly where to go.
"Other people have said it’s a great idea.
"Nearly everyone seems to have an opinion about what makes a good full English breakfast, so it is a talking point.
"I was inspired to do it after I read a book called Eggs, Bacon, Chips and Beans, where the author chronicles his trips to various cafes around the country. I thought I’d do one for Merseyside, and it has grown from there.
"I read the book last year, it has quite a following, and then I began writing about the cafés I tried around here and including photographs too. The reaction I have had has been very positive and I have learnt from the blog that a lot of people feel strongly about it."
Fred, who has lived in Childwall for 30 years, so far has 17 cafés reviewed in great detail on his blog, with a new one appearing every week.
He has two immediate favourites when asked to pick the best: "Although the blog is called Breakfast Liverpool, the best I have experienced so far is the Alley Cats Dining Room, in Argyle Street, Birkenhead.
"A lot of people had said to me that the breakfast there was a bit on the special side, and it did not disappoint.
"The breakfast cost nearly £5, which makes it quite expensive for around here, but I certainly think it was worth it. I think the quality allows for such a price, as well as their location.
"In Liverpool, I think prices are kept down because people are only prepared to pay so much, but that doesn’t mean the quality isn’t there.
"The best I have tasted on this side of the river is the Tasty Snacks Cafe, Woolton, where you get bacon, sausage, eggs and beans for just £2, which is really good value.
"But I think, overall, cafés across the area are trying harder to come up with better full English breakfasts.
"There are some, still, where you walk in and smell the stale oil and that’s normally the big thing to put me off.
"Normally, though, you can see into the kitchen and see it being prepared, and as I try different places, the quality is very high.
"I think that is because most of them are run by their owners, who take a great pride in the food they serve and do look for twists and variations."
Fred’s blog also includes pictures of the breakfast – which shows his standpoint in the great debate over what should be in an English breakfast.
"Certainly I would expect egg, bacon, sausage and chips, but it does vary from place to place and there are trends coming and going," he says.
"A lot of places also offer black pudding as part of the breakfast but they always ask if you want it, because a lot of people don’t.
"And Ulster Fry is also becoming more popular again in the city."
According to Technorati, a search engine purely for blogs, there are 961 blogs with Liverpool in the title, and 213,611 blog posts (individual entries) with the word Liverpool included.
One of the main collections of blogs in Liverpool is hosted by the Liverpool Daily Post and its sister title, the Liverpool Echo.
As well as dozens of blogs from staff writers at the two papers, it is also home to an authoritative list of links to other blogs which have a Merseyside link – including Breakfast Liverpool.
Topics are as diverse as the city itself, ranging from one called ScouseVeg (run for the vegetarian community in the region) to one called the Cavern Beatles blog, dedicated to the band with the same name.
Introducing some of the best bloggers on Merseyside
THE Daily Post is relaunching its website www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk tomorrow with some of the area’s best bloggers based on the site. They include:
AT THE BAR: Mike Chapple's blog champions Merseyside's pubs and the characters who frequent them. It also aims to keep Daily Post bloggers in touch with all the latest local news on the pubs front.
DOWN THE ALLOTMENT: Deborah James took on an overgrown allotment in an effort to relax and unwind from the stresses of city life.
But balancing careers and home lives with maintaining their urban oasis has not always been easy…
GET INTO THIS: Peter Guy discovered music late. Since then he’s been making up for it. With a collection to rival a small record shop and a gig diary fit for any addled groupie, music is his religion.
LARRY NEILD: Thanks to many years of experience in journalism, Liverpool Daily Post city editor Larry Neild is a man who is always in the know. His views are quirky but always well-informed.
EDITOR’S BLOG: Daily Post editor Mark Thomas’s take on topical issues from Liverpool FC fans in Athens to Merseyside’s much lamented tram project.
ANNE BENSON’S FOOD LOVERS’ BLOG: Local foodie updates and some more personal stories of Anne’s culinary adventures as she shares her passion for the region and its food. Includes tips on local small producers, good restaurants and shops.
METAL DETECTING: Steve Rice has been metal detecting for over 20 years. He is a member and past chairman of the South Lancs and Cheshire Metal Detecting Club and uses his blog to keep others up to date with his finds. He is also a keen coin collector and historian.
REAL FITNESS: Daily Post reporter Caroline Innes only set out to burn a few calories and tone up.
More than 10 years later this chocoholic, vodka-drinking, jogging-hater was not only a qualified personal trainer and fitness instructor but managed to run over 150 miles across the Sahara Desert.
BIRDBLOG: John Dempsey has been a properish birder for more than 30 years and compiles the Daily Post Country Matters column.
Birdblog looks at his hobby in Merseyside, Lancashire and beyond.
Six tips for a successful blog
STAY on topic. Opinions are generally accepted but the content of the items in the blog should all relate to a general theme.
Be informative. Make sure you tell people whether what you say is fact or opinion.
Update regularly. If your blog content is updated frequently, search engines will tend to spider the pages at regular intervals.
Keep it simple. Keep your posts and blog entries clear and easy to understand.
Give it a good headline. Each item post should have a title that will attract attention on sites such as Technorati.
Spell check. People get put off by simple errors.
