What better way to make the most of a June day than to start it in style with a breakfast picnic? I'm a fan of setting off on the right foot each morning and that always includes something to eat nice and early. I used to be a bore with eating the same thing every morning but these days I prefer to keep options open and eat whatever seems right - be it something with a short shelf life, a quick bit if I'm in a hurry or perhaps treating myself to a cooked brekkie if the mood is right. What has never crossed my mind before is to have a breakfast picnic but when Dorset Cereals put together this cute little hamper for me it just made sense. Summer is the perfect time to head outdoors at every opportunity! A lovely dose of fresh air and sunshine along with coffee and some tasty cereal sounds like an ideal way to make a morning more special.
There's a new muesli from premium brand Dorset Cereals: 'gently spiced carrot and apple'. We've bought other varieties before and always enjoyed the taste and quality, so I was excited to try this new creation. A sweet canister for milk and a retro bowl on my super soft picnic blanket - all bases covered.

You can see the mix of fruit, flakes and nuts. My tastebuds absolutely adore the gentle spices and fruit, with the rolled and toasted flakes making this feel a good balance of wholesome and yummy. The carrot blends in seamlessly, it's a sweet vegetable that lends itself well to fruity dishes, who can resist carrot cake? It surprised me to read that there is no added sugar, just the natural sweetness of the apple and dried fruits. It's a hit with me and I'll have to cunningly hide my box in the cupboard so that C doesn't eat the whole lot before I get a look in again.
Vegan food at it's best. I prefer cold milk at this time of year, though hot milk in winter would work a treat or with a dollop of thick yogurt as a snack. Apparently some people like muesli with fruit juice but that sounds a little too out there for me. How do you prefer yours?

A big thank you to Dorset Cereals for sending me this cute hamper and for encouraging me to take breakfast outside. I'm making it a regular thing!
Sophie

It's been a while since I delved into something new to eat. My usual breakfast choices swing back and forth between porridge, toast or maybe at the weekend some kind of full English or bacon sarnie. When I was asked if I'd like to try some granola I wracked my brain in attempt to recall if I'd ever eaten any before but if memory serves me right I haven't. Lizi's Granola looks really interesting with plenty of varieties in the range; I've been trying out both the low sugar and high protein products which are suitable for vegetarians, vegans and are GL tested.

The thing I've realised about trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle is that you need to include a good variety of food in your diet. It is pointless eating the same things day in day out. As a first look, I thought I'd compare the two granola mixes side by side. The low sugar is much paler, looks very 'healthy' full of oats and seeds. The high protein mix looks temptingly crisp and crunchy with a lovely glazed appearance.

Both granola mixes are free flowing and ready to eat - straight from the packet if you fancy it (and thankfully neither of them resemble those rocky clusters which resemble something which could require your dentist on speed dial). They smell good. Appetising. I like the idea of being able to use granola is a multitude of ways.
The low sugar mix is ideal for anyone who shies away from sweet breakfast cereals (RRP £3.89 for 500g). The sugar content is less than 4% and I agree, it doesn't taste particularly sweet. As a relatively health conscious individual I know that I shouldn't be eating as much sugar as I currently do and the best types of sweetness to include are fruits and honey instead of naughty spoonfuls of granuals heaped on food. My suggestion was to eat the low sugar granola with fruit. With plums worked a treat! The low sugar mix is dairy free but contains nuts.
The high protein granola looks like a real gem. Not only is it a joy to eat - it has a whole load of protein inside so that adds neatly to my protein tally for the day (which I quite often find is lacking in my diet). RRP £3.99 for 350g.
As a big kid at heart I would only be too happy tucking into a big bowl of some kind of sugar coated or chocolate cereal but hand on heart I am pleased to report t's been at least a couple of years since I buckled. The high protein mix has a fantastic crunch to it in a light way (your teeth are safe) so I decided to try it with yogurt - a greek style pot in the fridge was ideal. I have to say the mix was a taste sensation! One of the most enjoyable things I've discovered in years!
Rich, creamy yogurt and granola to start the day. I've eaten it twice again like this since and added another big pot to my shopping list.
What I do really like about these granolas is that they are so versatile! Eating just by the handful from the packet, with milk, with yogurt, with fruit, as a sprinkle on porridge, with hot milk in the winter for a real warmer, as part of baking for things like flapjacks and biscuits. The possibilities go on. You can buy online or in stores - I did spot a couple of packets in my local Tesco.
Fancy a bowl yourself?
Sophie

It's hardly worthy of a recipe post but I did enjoy eating this spinach and red pepper omelette and I took a picture specially.

One quarter of a red pepper, a handful of fresh spinach and three eggs – free range.

Chop the red pepper into chunky slices and pop in a frying pan on a medium heat, beat the eggs with a little salt and pepper then add to the pan after a couple of minutes. Throw in the spinach after a couple of minutes before the egg has cooked through, then flip if possible to finish off.

I'm on the prowl for new breakfast ideas as to me the best way to start the day right is with a satisfying meal.

Sophie

There is something joyous about taking extra time to make a special breakfast at the weekend, isn't there? One of my early blog posts was about my beloved egg bap (it still amuses me that I get the occasional hit from searches like “what is an egg bap”).

In a somewhat out of character moment I decided that I wanted some bacon as part of my morning feast so we picked up some smoked-at-the-butchers back bacon which surely has to be one of the best things to satisfy a rumbly tummy as well as stink the kitchen out for a few hours.

We decided to try out our brand spanking new Tefal Optigrill which is the latest addition to our collection of kitchen gadgetry. Naturally, Chris is the type to plug it in and press all the buttons and I'm the one who looks at the straightforward quick start guide to figure out how to work it. I rather like the idea of just using the Optigrill instead of our slow to heat up oven grill. The top and bottom plates cook the food from both sides and here's the genius bit – the light tells you how well done it is; all you have to do is select the right option. It has a has a thickness sensor which basically does all the hard work figuring out how long you need to cook your meat (or fish) for, nifty, eh? It's even easy to clean as the grill plates can be whipped off and popped in the dishwasher.

Chris went wild with a bacon sarnie using homemade bread, I opted for bacon, scrambled eggs and beans. In fact mine was so easy and scrummy that I think getting up a few minutes earlier during the week to make it would be a good shout.

What's your favourite breakfast to cook up?

Sophie

Thanks to Tefal for sending me the rather awesome Optigrill, I'm looking forward to putting it through it's paces in the coming weeks.