Category: breakfast

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Breakfast in Bloomsbury

I had really enjoyed the breakfast I had at the Ambassadors Hotel in Bloomsbury back in 2008.

It was a splendid affair, and though there was an element of self-service, what was nice was the staff took your cooked breakfast order and brought it to the table. 

Beautifully served, it consisted of an excellent meaty sausage, some very nice grilled bacon, a small bowl of baked beans, grilled (and skinned) tomato, mushroom, bubble and squeak, black pudding and egg. You had a choice of eggs (chicken or duck) and cooked to your liking, I had a poached duck’s egg. It was also garnished with lettuce, not sure about the lettuce.

So when I was lucky enough to stay at the Ambassadors Hotel in Bloomsbury again recently, I was really looking forward to coming down for breakfast.

I wasn’t expecting to get an identical experience, but it was pretty close.

breakfast

The eggs were cooked well, the sausage was nice, as was the bacon. I liked the grilled mushrooms. The tomato wasn’t as good as before and there was a solitary small hash brown.

Luckily no lettuce, just some parsley.

There was quite a choice of other cooked items as well, such as boiled eggs and kippers.

Along with the cooked breakfast, there was also a (self-service) selection of toast, bread products such as croissant and panettone, fruit, yoghurt, juice, cold meats, cheese and smoked fish.

Excellent service and great food. A good start to the day.

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Continental Breakfast

So do you fancy a continental breakfast?

There is something very nice about a proper freshly baked croissant in the morning with coffee.

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Something different for breakfast

I do like a cooked breakfast now and again. I also like to vary what I have. I saw Traditional Hogs Pudding in my local supermarket and thought, this is similar but different.

The instructions indicate the best way to cook it is slice it and grill, which I did. It was an interesting taste and texture, reminded me of the inside of a sausage roll.

Nice for a change.

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Pancakes

Made some nice pancakes for breakfast.

I make a  batter of plain flour, eggs and milk with a spoonful of caster sugar. This I then pour (you can now see the consistency you should aim for) onto a hot pan.

Pancakes

Once cooked service with a dizzle of maple syrup.

Pancakes

Nice.

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Pancakes and Maple Syrup

Having got a really nice pancake pan for Christmas and though I have been using it for other stuff, I have also been using it for making pancakes.

I make a simple batter of flour, eggs and milk and then cook using a hot pan.

If I am making scotch pancakes, I will use self-raising flour and make a thicker batter, if I am making crepe style pancakes then I will have a thin batter which I can cover the whole pan with.

I serve them with proper maple syrup. Personally I can’t stand the maple flavoured syrups you can buy, and will only buy the proper stuff. Yes it is expensive, but I would rather have the good stuff now and again rather than the horrible stuff all the time.

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In order to make an omelette you need to break some eggs

If you read this blog you will know that I am a fan of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s recipes (and his books as well).

However I did not think much of his recent breakfast column in the Guardian today.

Fruity, nutty bread, herby baked eggs and savoury drop scones invite you to linger, put on another pot of coffee, read all of the paper, throw more logs on the fire. Perhaps you’ll enjoy it so much you’ll make a date with yourself to do it more often.

Sorry didn’t appeal to me.

I do agree with Hugh over rushing breakfast, it is important not to eat a hastily spooned bowl of cereal or a slice of toast nibbled as you walk to the car.

As I got a decent pancake pan for Christmas, I have been using it to make omelettes for breakfast.

In order to make an omelette you need to break some eggs, whisk together. Some people add water, others add milk, I add nothing. I also use organic free-range eggs as they taste much better than cheap eggs.

Heat the pan, add a little oil or butter. Add the whisked egg (three eggs if you must ask). As the eggs set add a filling if you so choose. I normally grate a little cheese on, sometimes some lightly cooked mushrooms.

Once the eggs are nearly set (they will continue to cook on the plate) slide and flip onto a plate.

Serve with some granary toast and fresh coffee.

Now that’s what I call a breakfast!

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Sharing Breakfast

I’m not one for staring at people as they eat their breakfast in a supermarket cafe, but this morning I couldn’t help myself.

There were a couple who had ordered two English Breakfasts. They arrived, and the man started to move the mushrooms from his plate to hers.

Fair enough I thought, he probably doesn’t like mushrooms.

She then started to move (what I initially thought) her egg over to his plate. I then realised she was just moving the fried egg white.

He then started moving the yolks from his plate to hers.

I am sure that they probably think their behaviour is “normal” to me it was very bizarre.

After he tried to put a whole fried egg white into his mouth and half fell out, she didn’t bat an eyelid, I knew I had seen too much and looked away and focused on my cup of tea.

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Breakfast at Bloomsbury

I was recently up in London and stayed at the Ambassadors Hotel in Bloomsbury. I generally dislike having breakfast in hotels, as more often than not they are overpriced and though have extensive choice are not really value for money. For example a month or two back I stayed at the Thistle Barbican Hotel and breakfast (though included in my room rate) would have cost you £15.95. For that you would have to queue up unless you got up really early. Having sat down in the Thistle, if you were lucky, the waiting staff would bring you some coffee and toast. Then it was self-service for the cooked breakfast, which was not very inspiring.

So I was well pleased with breakfast at the Ambassadors Hotel in Bloomsbury. It was about the same price as the Thistle, but unlike that place, at the Ambassadors they served you your cooked breakfast at the table, and what an excellent cooked breakfast it was.

breakfast

Beautifully served, it consisted of an excellent meaty sausage, some very nice grilled bacon, a small bowl of baked beans, grilled (and skinned) tomato, mushroom, bubble and squeak, black pudding and egg. You had a choice of eggs (chicken or duck) and cooked to your liking, I had a poached duck’s egg. It was also garnished with lettuce, not sure about the lettuce.

There was quite a choice of other cooked items as well, such as boiled eggs and kippers.

Along with the cooked breakfast, there was also a (self-service) selection of toast, bread products such as croissant and panettone, fruit, yoghurt, juice, cold meats, cheese and smoked fish.

Overall I was well impressed and would recommend the breakfast, though still not sure about the lettuce.

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What’s in your cereal bowl?

What’s in your cereal bowl?

The Guardian has published a really informative and interesting article on breakfast cereals.

Britain is one of the world’s largest consumers of puffed, flaked and sugared breakfast cereals. How did that happen when many were said to contain less nutrition than the boxes they come in?

Personally I avoid most breakfast cereals, as most have way too much sugar in them, or they have huge amounts of salt in them.

Corn Flakes for example are more salty than some good quality sausages!

It should be noted that bread (for toast) is also very salty in comparison.

So what’s in your cereal bowl?

Photo source.


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Brioche for Breakfast

For breakfast these days I seem to be eating an inordinate amount of brioche.

Brioche is a highly enriched French bread, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust from an egg wash applied before and after proofing.

I find I eat them plain, without butter or jam, but with coffee.