Across the Pond | Breakfast Down on the Farm

Anyone who knows me well or has been following along with Foodie Footnotes will know that I *love* breakfast.  Well, hang on a minute; let me clarify that.  I don’t love your regular old something-to-eat-just-because-I-haven’t-for-10-hours breakfast.  I mean I love a special breakfast.  An occasion breakfast.  Breakfast with a purpose.  Breakfast with flair.  Breakfast that has been in some way prepared, not just poured out of a box & milk added to it.  Just add milk?  Ugh.

When I was over on the other side of the pond a little while back, I was spoiled with a lot of breakfast love.  Every day in fact, because my brother & his wife make breakfast every day.  Sometimes it was a simple bowl of porridge (oatmeal) & I watched in astonishment to see my 2 year old nephew, Charlie, hoover (vacuum) a huge dish of it up into his mouth in minutes; sometimes fresh fruit, yogurt & granola;  often a full cooked deal.  I didn’t photograph every breakfast…it’s hard holding a 9 week old baby, eating & photographing all at the same time.  I know…any excuse for poor performance.  But here, for your enjoyment, dear Reader,  is a smattering of some of the more splendid breakfasts that I enjoyed, down on the farm, in England this past few weeks.

Irish Soda Farls: who knew they were so yummy?

Irish Soda Farls sliced in half, lightly toasted & topped with farm-fresh bacon & fried eggs.  Breakfast bliss.

One of the things that is always near the top of my foodie wish list whenever I head to England: kippers.  I was AMAZED to see 2-year-old Charlie wolfing down kippers for breakfast like it was his last hour on earth.  Who else knows a 2 year old who will eat kippers??!  Fresh from the fish market the evening before, these were a real treat.  *Love* kippers.  Eaten with a couple of slices of fresh, white, buttered bread.  Heaven.

A kipper: pure, simple, healthy, yummy breakfast

Once a herring, it's amazing what a bit of smoke can do for a fish

Now, back to the bacon.  We eat a lot of bacon in Britain.  It is pretty much a completely different product to the bacon most usually found in an American grocery store.  And thank heaven for that.

Bacon & scrambled eggs on toast.  One of the best ways I know to start the day.

Just like an open breakfast sandwich: bacon & eggs on toast

There was always plenty of bread available for toasting.  Or not toasting.  I absolutely *love* eating a great slice of white bread.  Un-toasted.  Slathered with butter.  Real butter, of course.  Margarine should be banned.  That stuff has no place in life.

It probably won’t be a surprise to you to learn that my brother & sister-in-law make almost all of the jams that they eat.  I am not sure who the primary jam-creator is in their household.  I get confused over who does what.  Not that it matters – everything that they make is rather splendid, whoever does the cooking.  Back in the jam department…the current favorite was Rhubarb & Raspberry.  Quite yummy.  Far more raspberry-ness than rhubarb, & not as tart as you might expect.  I’ll get the recipe for you.

Finally, here we have the King of British breakfasts:  Bubble & Squeak.  Bubble & squeak is what we Brits make with our left-over veggies from the weekend roast dinner.  Adding bacon & eggs makes just about anything a joy to behold.  Bubble & squeak is no exception.  We love ourselves some bubble & squeak.

Bubble & Squeak. With bacon & eggs, of course.

There's nothing quite like farm-fresh eggs & bacon for breakfast.

Brits might not be found eating breakfast out very often, if at all.  I was not in the least bit disappointed to eat breakfast in my brother & sister-in-law’s kitchen every day for 2 weeks.  Their breakfasts rivalled many of the ones I have eaten out this past year.  Thanks Mummy & Daddy for some very fine culinary starts to my days.

Roll on November 2011.  I can’t wait to inhale kippers with the adorable Charlie once again.  Maybe his baby sister will be ready for a spot of kipper inhalation by then too.