Alternative breakfast treats

Toasted treats

Along with electric kettles and handy coffee makers, toasters are a kitchen staple. Toast is a breakfast go-to for many of us, but by sticking to the usual margarine and strawberry jam, you’re missing out on a whole host of healthy and tasty meals.

If you need a sugar fix in the morning, sprinkle buttered bread with sugar and a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon and toasting it under the grill. If you prefer something savoury, try meat or fish. Pop open a can of sardines, pilchards or mackerel in brine or tomato sauce and you’ve got a healthy breakfast in minutes.

We tend to ignore vegetables for breakfast, but they’re quick and easy to cook and make a really lovely meal. A handful of lightly poached button mushrooms piled on top of a slice or two of warm granary toast is filling and delicious, or if you don’t fancy that you could try a can of chopped tomatoes seasoned with crushed black pepper.

Then again, who says you need to put bread in a toaster? Bagels spread with cream cheese and buttered crumpets also make for great breakfast treats.

Smashing smoothies

A refreshing glass of orange juice or mixed fruit smoothie for breakfast is a brilliant way to get one of your five-a-day, but there’s no need to stick to chucking a few handfuls of strawberry and a brown banana in a blender. Get adventurous with your Kitchenaid blender and smoothie recipes and you may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

‘Green smoothies’ —made with vegetables as well as fruit – are becoming ever more popular, and baby spinach leaves are a nice, non-threatening way to try this trend. Blend together two handfuls of spinach, some summer berries, a banana and some apple juice to make a sweet smoothie full of vitamins and flavour.

If you’re not too keen on green, just try a wider range of fruit. Passionfruit, mango, raspberries, peaches and pineapples can all be whizzed up to make something sweet, satisfying and that little bit special.

A bountiful bowlful

If all else fails, a bowl of chopped mixed fruit sprinkled with sugar and topped with a few spoonfuls of yoghurt is good for you, mouth-wateringly tasty and an attractive dish to tuck into first thing in the day. In the summer you can’t beat British berries — sweet strawberries, plump blackberries and juicy raspberries are the perfect way to get yourself going in the morning — but pineapple chunks, mixed melon and satsuma segments are a zingy alternative.

For something a little smoother, swirl honey into a bowl of Greek yogurt and sprinkle a handful of chopped nuts over the top. All it takes is a little imagination and you can have a delicious, filling breakfast that you’ll have no intention of skipping.