How many times have you heard the statement ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’?  Well, we can’t say for sure if this is true but since our bodies use up a lot of our energy stores for growth and repair throughout the night, it makes sense that we need to help replenish them when we wake. If like us though you find yourself reaching for the same old thing each morning and feel a bit uninspired about breakfast, we thought we’d investigate some delicious options to mix things up a bit!

Bagels

Soft, crispy and chewy – what’s there not to love about bagels? If you’re usually a fan of a lunchtime bagel, why not switching things around and try one for breakfast. Here are some great topping ideas (Or should we say fillings? Depends how you eat them…).

• Peanut butter and banana
• Avocado and poached egg
• Strawberries and chocolate hazelnut spread

We absolutely love the bagels on offer at Bournemouth’s Sunday Club. They have five delicious toppings to choose from, all are vegan and include things like avocado with chili flakes and lime, or cream cheese with berries and biscoff crumbs! Yum!

Pancakes

Although normally more of a weekend treat, if you keep thinking simple and even make your batter the night before, you could introduce pancakes to your weekday repertoire. An especially good option if you have little children who take some persuasion when it comes to breakfast – we bet they’ll gobble these up!

• Top them with bacon and maple syrup
• Slather on greek yoghurt and berries
• Try these tropical Pineapple and banana pancakes

If you still don’t fancy making your own, why not nip over to Happyccino in Wimborne and order the pancake stack from their brunch menu. They’re a friendly bunch, focused on promoting positive well-being and breaking the stigma surrounding mental health.

Fruit Smoothie Bowls

These colourful bowls of deliciousness are essentially a smoothie served in a bowl (rather than a glass) with loads of added toppings. By chucking extra nuts, seeds and fruits on top, not only are you increasing the nutritional value, generally you will also feel fuller and more satisfied compared to simply ‘drinking’ your breakfast.

Start by making up your ‘smoothie’. An easy go-to is to blend a banana and a handful of fresh berries with milk or a milk-alternative. You may also want to try:

• Milk, avocado, spinach, strawberry and yoghurt
• Milk, apple, raspberry, oats, yoghurt
• Milk, peanut butter, banana, oats, cinnamon

You can then add whatever toppings you fancy but we can recommend:

• A handful of berries
• Sliced nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia)
• Sliced banana
• Seeds – chia, flax, hemp, sunflower or pumpkin
• Diced mango or pineapple
• Sliced pear, apple or peach
• Cacao nibs or goji berries
• Maple syrup or honey
• Shredded or desiccated coconut

Overnight Oats

Overnight oats have grown in popularity recently and we certainly see a fair few pots being eaten here in our Dorset office.  The great thing about them is that you can do all your prep the night before (great for those of us who find mornings a bit hectic) and if you pop them in a leak-proof container, they are easily portable. By allowing the oats to soak, it breaks down the starch leaving a nice thick texture that doesn’t require any further cooking. You may like to experiment not only with flavour but also with how long you leave them. Some people prefer to simply make them up an hour or so before they’re going to be eaten.

You can simply eat them plain or with honey, but if you fancy experimenting with flavours here are a few ideas to try mixing into the oats or adding to the top:

• Peanut butter and strawberry (either freshly sliced or use strawberry jam)
• Apple, pecan and maple syrup
• Banana and chocolate spread (we love the Meridian cocoa and hazelnut butter)

Porridge Toppings

For some people cold oats just isn’t their ‘thing’! We get it, starting the day with a warming bowl of porridge is hard to beat, especially during the chilly winter months. What we love about porridge is that you can make it on the hob, bake it in the oven or pop it into the microwave. And hey presto a yummy bowl of wholegrain healthiness! You can jazz things up a bit by either adding toppings (why not ty the ones in the smoothie bowls and overnight oat recipes above), or add fruits and seeds as you’re cooking the oats. Combinations we love are:

• Banana, raisins and cinnamon
• Chopped almonds and dates
• Stewed plums and honey

Breakfast Burrito

We came across this breakfast burrito recipe on the BBC Good Food website and thought it looked totally delicious. They use a wholemeal wrap for added goodness and with protein rich eggs it will keep you feeling fuller far longer than a sugary bowl of cereal. Or, why not head along to Lazy Jack’s in Sandbanks and try their very own breakfast burrito. It’s served with black bean and sweetcorn salsa and looks amazing!  Breakfast on the Sandbanks peninsula – you can’t get much better than that, can you?

Good Old Full English

Us brits know that you can’t really beat a full English from time to time. Here in Dorset we are spoilt for choice when it comes to treating ourselves to breakfast out as there are so many great places to choose from, many with the most glorious views out over the Dorset countryside or coast. We can also readily get our hands of local ingredients and what tastes better than produce that is from your own back yard! Here are some great tips for making your full English that little bit healthier:

• Grill your sausages and/or bacon rather than frying
• Use poached eggs rather than fried
• Make your own baked beans to reduce the salt and sugar content
• Add a portion of wilted spinach to mushrooms
• Serve with sour dough bread

For brekkie with a view head to Boscombe’s Urban Reef. Here you can gaze out to sea as you enjoy either a classic, vegetarian or vegan full English!

Let us know what you are enjoying for breakfast throughout February – send us a photo of your breakfast to chat@dorsettea.co.uk or tag us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and we’ll share it with the Dorset Tea community.