Taste, 655 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield

But Marco Zerboni's Great Italian fry-up, the Latin version of the Full English, is what might have been if history had been different and the Romans stayed!

His all-day breakfast consists of his own recipe Italian sausage, bacon, sanguinaccio (black pudding), roast tomatoes and mushrooms, Tuscan-style baked beans, a fried egg and, instead of fried bread, bruschetta with extra virgin olive oil.

And the finishing touch is a clove of garlic on a cocktail stick to rub on the bruschetta.

"There's lots of competition on the road and there was no point in just doing English breakfasts because I am not English," smiles Marco, who has taken over the upmarket cafe Taste on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield.

Previous owner Jamie Bosworth made it as famous for its eggs Florentine and eggs Benedict as his fry ups.

Marco got the recipe for the sausage from a butcher in Rome, where he used to work as a chef, and they are made with 90 per cent pork, white wine, chilli, garlic and pepper by Ralph Thickitt's the butchers around the corner. The only difference is a little bread is added for English tastes.

"The black pudding is served with raisins and onion and the baked beans are a version of fagioli al fiasco, cannelini beans cooked in a Chianti bottle. I don't use a bottle but I cook them with roast garlic, sage and black pepper," he says.

It's gone down a treat with most customers "although some think you have to chew the garlic," says Marco.

He also offers a number of alternative breakfasts or brunches from Italy including the Groestl, a favourite from the Dolomites, which is sauteed potatoes with chives, onion, speck (ham) and a fried egg and Frico - sauteed potatoes with mushrooms, garlic, chilli and parsley topped with grilled Montasio cheese.

If you don't fancy a fry-up there's the Alpine Kaiserschmarren raisin pancake with apple puree and cinnamon and a couple of veggie dishes, such as the Puglian Scamorza al Forno, baked cheese with a tomato and olive salsa.

Marco, aged 34, first came to Britain ten years ago when he cooked in London restaurants. He returned to Italy, cooking around the country, where he picked up the various recipes, before arriving in Sheffield two years ago to open the bakery at nearby Nonna's.

He's married to Sarah, who is English, and they have two children, Sofia, aged four, born in Rome, and Tommaso, aged two, born in Chesterfield where they live.

Marco, who also bakes his own cakes, including delicious little bigne, muffins and walnut and plum, is planning to open a weekend bistro by the new year.

He's an all-round chef with a zest for baking.

"I have a passion for yeast," he says.

And he believes it's not the recipe but the way you cook that matters.

"People think Italian cooking is all Bolognese sauce but it's not. I could cook roast beef Italian-style if I wanted."

Taste is at 655 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield. Tel: 0114 268 7356. Visit www.zerbonitaste.co.uk