the perfect breakfast: chia seed and peach jam porridge

A few months ago, I shared with you my recent affection for porridge, and how to make it really quickly. My affection is unwavering, especially since discovering this somewhat decadent breakfast that I can't help but wanting every morning. It's perfect for cold and crisp weekdays, the peach jam cutting perfectly through the milky porridge, warming you well and filling you up until lunch. I've also discovered the magic that are chia seeds - full of protein and omega 3's, they're great soaked in milk or water, and get a really weird, jelly-like texture to them.

INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup porridge
- 1 cup semi-skimmed milk
- 1 heaped tablespoon of chia seeds, with enough milk or water to cover them.
- 1 tablespoon of peach jam

1. Measure out 1/2 cup porridge, and 1 cup semi-skimmed milk, in a microwaveable bowl. You don't have to use cup measurements, it's the ratio that is important here.
2. At this stage, measure out your chia seeds and cover them with milk or water (I normally do this in the cup I measure the porridge and milk out in). Stir to make sure all the chia seeds are covered in liquid and set aside.
3. Microwave the bowl of porridge and milk on full power for 1.5 minutes, then take out and stir well.
4. Microwave the porridge for a further 3.5 minutes, taking out and stirring well every 30 seconds, taking care not to let it boil over, the stirring is very important here.
5. When the porridge is thick and creamy, take it out and stir the chia seed mixture into the porridge, or just place on top.
6. Add jam to taste, and eat!

boxing day breakfast or brunch: drop scone pancake recipe

Well hello everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day and are gearing up for 2015 nicely. I thought I'd show you all a somewhat indulgent idea for a breakfast on a chilly Boxing Day morning.. 

A drop-scone (or an american style pancake, if you like) is one of my favourite things to make. They're so quick, so easy, and so amazingly tasty. They're a thousand times better than the ones you buy pre-cooked, and the batter only takes minutes to whip up. They'd be an amazing thing to pull together for a New Year's Day breakfast (er, brunch?) if you're all feeling a little fragile, and unlike croissants, require minimal effort. The hardest part is basically wondering how many you can scoff down before anyone notices.. 

INGREDIENTS:
(makes about ten-twelve decently sized pancakes)
- 125g self-raising flour
- pinch of salt
- 25g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 25g melted butter
- 100ml milk

1. Sift flour into a bowl, and yes, this is a rare recipe when I actually sift it. Generally I can't be bothered, but no-one wants a lumpy pancake. Stir in the salt and sugar.
2. Make a well in the middle of the flour, and add the eggs. Pour in a little of the milk and begin to beat.
3. Gradually add in the rest of the milk until the batter has a smooth consistency and drops drop from the spoon.
4. Place butter in a microwabable bowl and heat until melted. When batter is ready to be cooked, add the melted butter and stir in.
5. Heat a frying pan until a bit hotter than a medium heat and add something to stop pancakes sticking (I usually use sunflower oil, but just a little.)
6. Using a tablespoon or an ice-cream scoop, spoon the batter into the frying pan and cook.
7. When the pancakes are beginning to bubble, and have gone solid around the edges, flip the pancake over and cook until golden brown.
8. If using a small pan and making several batches of pancakes, keep a plate warm in the oven with the pancakes on. Serve immediately and eat hot with lots of butter, golden syrup, blueberries, nutella....

Recipe adapted from one by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

quick and easy breakfast porridge

Porridge is not one of those things I ever considered really for breakfast, I have to say. When I was little, mum used to make it for us before school on cold mornings, or my Grandma would make it when we went to visit her, but the only way I liked it then was with copious amounts of sugar and milk. I stopped having it when I realised there were more fun breakfasts out there, like coco pops...

Flash forward to uni and my friend Amy used to eat a lot of those little instant porridge pots. They never looked that appealing to me, but who knows, I busy was enjoying my sausage bap with extra ketchup. In the supermarket a few months back, I had a flash of intrigue and threw one into my trolley, and it promptly sat in my kitchen cupboard until the weather turned cold enough for me to warrant trying it. 

And it wasn't a pleasant experience, is all I can say. It was pretty much like eating glue, I don't know if thats because I had to add water, or what, but it was like tasteless glue in a little paper cup. More determined this time around, I set out on a mission to buy some oats, and give it a go again. A couple of mornings later and I have it down fine art! I do it in the microwave, because, really, I can't be trusted with fire and gas at 7.30AM.

I'll include my little recipe here, but it's really not a recipe, more a ratio.

INGREDIENTS
For one large serving:
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 cup semi-skimmed milk
- Toppings of your choice!

1. Place a 1/2 cup of porridge oats in a microwavable bowl. For ease in the morning, I use a 1/2 cup measure, because who can be bothered weighing things that early in the morning? Google tells me it's about 90g.
2. Add the milk to the bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. I microwave it in 30 second blasts, and mix in-between, to make sure all the oats are being covered by the milk.
3. Leave to stand for about 30-60 seconds, whilst finding/preparing your toppings. 

My go-to favourite-topping is a good helping of jam, currently rotating between peach, plum or pear jam, with a handful of raisins or nuts, depending on what I can find in the morning, thought I've experimented with some slightly less healthier versions that involved chocolate chips, but my favourite is with lots of jam. It sort of feels like I'm having rice pudding for breakfast, and I can imagine I'm somewhat decadent.
Have you got any topping recommendations? I'd like to upgrade my porridge-game..

breakfast rituals

I really love a good cup of coffee, however I am not the biggest fan of instant coffee, and my family aren't really big coffee drinkers: so until I recently purchased a one-cup Bodum cafetiere I've not really known the joy of drinking freshly brewed ground coffee. Now, I absolutely love it. It's not just the taste, which I think is better, and richer than instant, but it's the time it takes to make, which gives me enough time to fetch the paper, make myself a bowl of Greek yoghurt and orange-blossom honey (my current favourite, it's perfect) and settle down at the table.. I'm really enjoying this little morning ritual that I have. Even if I don't manage it every day, or when I'm working, I really enjoy taking the time to have my yoghurt and coffee in peace and quiet, flicking through the papers.

(Also, can I point out how cute my mums bowls and mugs are? They were from M&S in the sale, and they're so lovely.)