Grounded: Notes From a Hands-On Cook
Some days, the kitchen feels like the only place that makes sense. A space where you actually touch the world instead of scrolling past it. Cooking feels so much better than watching cooking.
A Reluctant Eater’s Guide to Surviving Breakfast
I’ve always struggled with breakfast. Even now, as I sit down to write this, it’s 10:40am and the only reason I’m eating now is because we’re going out for a 1pm lunch. If I skip food until then, I will be very unpleasant to be around. But if I eat too late, I’ll ruin my appetite for the full Sunday roast. Breakfast, in short, is a scheduling nightmare.
It’s a good thing I’ve never had to be a strict 9–5 office worker catching an early morning train to the city. I genuinely don’t understand how people can chew through toast or cereal at such an ungodly hour. The only thing my system will accept is tea: endless, hot, milky tea. Tea is gentle. Tea coaxes you into the day. Anything else frankly feels like an assault.
Smoothies have their merits. Good-for-you things, sometimes even tasty things. But honestly, who is blending frozen fruit at 7am? Too noisy, too cold, and far too optimistic about what mornings should look like.
Scroll through Instagram and you’ll see people whipping up burritos, waffles, fritters, casseroles. Whole feasts, while the birds are still singing? Who are these people and who hurt them?
And coffee? Let’s be clear. Coffee is not a morning drink. Coffee is a mid-morning aside, an opportunity for a pit stop, maybe even an almond croissant. What it is not is something to be sloshed back mindlessly while ploughing through emails.
Okay, Fine, If I Have To Eat
Eggs are the obvious answer, but no one wants to be a short-order cook before they’ve even located their slippers. The key is batch cooking ahead of time.
A sensible option might be a frittata with whatever veg you’ve got, if only a jar of roasted peppers and some wilting herbs. Make mini frittata in a muffin tray then freeze and warm through as required. Though more likely in our house are burritos which I make ahead, toast when required, and act smug.
On weekend time I might even Shakshuka: tomatoes, peppers, onion, spices, eggs – a true one pan wonder.
Baked Oats with Fruit
Eggs not your thing? Try Baked Oats with Fruit. This utterly flexible recipe can sub in non-dairy products with ease, use frozen fruit and even nuts if that takes your fancy.
- 420ml milk
- 80ml honey
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled (can sub in butter)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup dessicated coconut
- 3 tsp mixed spice or vanilla essence depending on what works with your chosen fruit
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 bananas, mashed or other fruit equivalent 1 cup volume (frozen berries etc)
Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Stir together the milk, honey, eggs, coconut oil. Sift in the spices and baking powder then fold in the oats and coconut. Spoon in your chosen fruit and stir through.
Scrape this wet lumpy mix into an ovenproof dish and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes.
If I find myself with guests pre-noon and cooking feels too much, I’ll assemble a bagel board and let people fend for themselves. Bagels (fresh or toasted), smoked salmon, egg salad, herby cream cheese, pickles, cold cuts, and greens. If you can’t find bagels, use slider buns, baguette, or focaccia.
If it needs to be sweet, I reckon pancakes are the easiest option, making the batter even better. Choose from toppings such as: strawberries and thick cream, pan-fried pineapple deglazed with rum and brown sugar, maple syrup and crispy bacon (a classic) or bananas, cinnamon, and brown sugar. I once made lamington style pancakes by adding quality cocoa powder to the base batter then providing a chocolate sauce, coconut, raspberry jam and whipped cream.
Even simple would be to buy waffles and throw them in the air fryer. Add fruit, syrup, Nutella, pistachio butter – whatever floats your boat. If I’m looking for bonus points and the weather is warm enough, I’d serve gelato in a brioche bun and pretend I’m in Sicily.
Breakfast may be the most overrated meal of the day. But with a little planning (or the right bakery haul), it doesn’t have to be the worst.
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