eat breakfast like a King which, as one of London’s “breakfast and brunch lovers” is a mantra I like to stick by, I figured a post to tantalise the morning tastebuds was in order. 

There’s something quite melancholy and relaxed about taking breakfast at a leisurely pace, especially on a Saturday or Sunday. The French are rather good at this, with chairs and tables spilling onto the pavements outside little boulangeries or cafés on the coin de la rue. I wake up extra early on weekdays to make time for a languid start to my hectic day; it’s my little quiet in the storm of a busy London lifestyle. 

Brunch is one of Britain fortés and one of my favourite pastimes. My weekends are laden with a little respite from the working week at brunch locations across London (or so I like to think..). That’s not to say you can’t set the alarm an hour early and meet a friend pre-work to prep you sufficiently for ploughing through a morning’s worth of midweek emails (this has become a Pancake Day tradition for me) or that “brunching” with weekend papers and a coffee is underrated. No, no, no. Us Brits are known for our extravagant and varied brunch menus, from the traditional fry-up to gluten-free, vegan and health-conscious porridge and smoothie bowls. Wherever you look in London, there’s a hip hang-out for all tastes to enjoy. 

My get-up-and-go for the start of this week is a “tutti frutti” smoothie bowl, crammed full of forest fruits and topped with buckwheat granola as per Madeleine Shaw’s book Get The Glow (a superb addition to my growing foodie bookshelf by the way). I added nuts to make this super crunchy. Filled with glowing goodness, as it should be, I’ll be starting this week strong. 



Buckwheat Granola
2 cups oats
1 cup buckwheat groats
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup coconut flakes
3tbsp chia seeds
1.5tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 vanilla bean pods, scraped out
6 tbsp coconut oil
100g nuts of choice (I like pecans, almonds and hazelnuts)

1. Preheat the oven to 175C.
2. Place everything but the coconut oil in a bowl and mix well.
3. Place the coconut oil in a small saucepan over a low heat and leave to melt. Once melted, remove from the heat and pour over the dry ingredients. Combine so everything is nicely covered.
4. Place the mixture on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20mins. Remove, stir and put back in for another 10mins until it’s nice and crispy.
5. Let it cool and then place in an airtight container or jar. 
Adapted from Madeleine Shaw, Get The Glow

“Tutti Frutti” Smoothie Bowl
1 banana
2 cups of frozen forest fruit
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I like SunWarrior)
1tsp acai powder
Almond milk, as much as you like for desired consistency

1. Place everything but the almond milk in a blender and whizz. Easy peasy! Add almond milk at the end, gradually, for desired consistency. 
2. Pour into a bowl, top with granola and a handful of blueberries and you’re ll set. 

January 26, 2016
October 17, 2016

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