Up your breakfast game

Grabbing a Pret muffin on my way to work now feels like a distant memory.

Like many, my daily commute now consists of rolling out of bed, occasionally getting dressed and opening my laptop. I spend my days in and out of virtual meetings, taking lunch time strolls and preparing the most important meal of the day. Breakfast! Shoving a breakfast bar in my mouth whilst running for the tube has been replaced with gentle porridge stirring and egg sizzling. So, enjoy lockdown while it lasts and start your day the right way by upping your breakfast game.

Chocolate pear porridge

Serves 1 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 10 mins / V Vn Df

1/3 of a mug of porridge oats (any regular sized mug will do)

2/3 of a mug of milk

1 heaped tsp cocoa powder

Pinch of sea salt flakes

Handful dried fruit and nuts

1 tsp maple syrup + extra to serve

Drop of vanilla extract (optional) ½ a pear, sliced

Tip: Don’t wait to soak your pan after cooking. Do it immediately or your porridge will turn to cement.

Method:

1. In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients together apart from the pear. Cook over a medium heat stirring continually until the porridge is thick and creamy.

2. Serve immediately topped with sliced pear and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Spicy bean & tomato eggs

Serves 1 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 15 mins / V Df

You’ll need:

Non-stick frying pan

1 tsp rapeseed oil

2 spring onions, sliced

¼ tsp smoked paprika

Dash of Tabasco sauce (optional)

1 or 2 eggs

1 large or 2 regular tomatoes, chopped

½ can kidney beans

Handful fresh coriander, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil to serve

Toast to serve (optional)

TIP: If making for 2, use a large frying pan and double the recipe.

Method:

1. Fry the spring onions in the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat for 2 mins. Add the chopped tomatoes, Tabasco and smoked paprika and cook for a further 2 mins. Season well with salt and pepper and add the beans. Cook for 5 mins.

2. Using a spoon, make a well in the mixture and crack in your egg/eggs. Cover the pan with a lid or with sheet of foil and cook for 2-4 minutes or until the whites have set but the yolks are still soft. Serve in the pan topped with a handful of chopped coriander, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and toast for dunking.

Blueberry Dutch baby

Serves 2 / Hands on time 5-10 mins / Total time 30 mins / V

You’ll need:

Oven-proof dish, roughly 22cm x 28cm

30g unsalted butter

100g plain flour

3 eggs

300ml semi-skimmed milk

2 tsp caster sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 handfuls of blueberries

To serve

Granulated sugar and maple syrup

Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat an over to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. Measure out the butter and add to the over-proof dish. Place in the oven to heat up.

2. Meanwhile, measure out the flour in a large bowl and mix in the salt and the sugar before making a well in the centre. Crack in the eggs, add the milk and the vanilla before beating the eggs into the milk, slowly incorporating the flour. Once you have a smooth batter put to one side.

3. Remove the dish from the oven (by now the butter should be melted and bubbling). Sprinkle the blueberries straight into the dish followed by all the pancake batter. Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 mins. Once the pancake has puffed up and the edges are golden brown, remove from the oven.

4. Serve immediately sprinkled with sugar and lashings of maple syrup.