Albion Cafe

Breakfasts are a glorious thing. A time to sit and drink cup after cup of coffee, eat far too much food, and plan your adventures for the day. 

I was lucky enough to have James visit for a month, and we were out for breakfasts, lunches and dinnners for what felt like every meal. This one in particular was a lazy Sunday morning where we wandered through the sun dappled streets around the back of Shoreditch to Albion cafe on Redchurch Street.

We had a pot of coffee to share, and both devoured beans on toast. And when I say beans I mean the best baked beans I've ever had. I've got to give it to them, the English know good breakfasts.

Albion is a great, classic cafe that will definitely hit the spot when you're on the lookout for a good brekkie. They also have a whole lot of artisan food and freshly baked bread to buy and take home, basically combining my two great loves of food shopping and food eating in one fell swoop.

Breakfast: The Muesli Hub

Previously a muesli sceptic, I told Lucy- a friend of mine and a co-creator of The Muesli Hub that she would have a hard time convincing me that this breakfast dish deserved a place on my table. But a few mere months later, and with the launch of her and partner Jono's new business I found myself eating my words (and a lot more muesli).

Photo by Anna Kidman 

Photo by Anna Kidman

The Muesli Hub is a slick new online service that allows you to create your muesli from scratch, and make it exactly the way you like it. Deciding on your first order is the hardest part; and so after a few tough choices I decided on a warming porridge base, macadamia nuts, banana chips, cinnamon, and chia seeds. It's delicious on it's own or with fruit, warm or cold, and I'll admit I even ended up having a few afternoon nibbles at the good bits.

Have a play on the website here- get creative, make your dream muesli mix, and let me know what you think!

Photo by Anna Kidman

Breakfast: Turkish Eggs

You might have heard me harp on about breakfasts before, and how I have only recently become acquainted with them. But now it has become a weekend pastime of mine to head up to the shops or the market to collect some delicious food for a decadent weekend brekkie.

On this morning I felt like recreating the delicious Turkish Eggs I always order at Queenies; my local cafe. So I went and collected:

• Greek yogurt
• A fresh loaf of bread (I used sourdough, but you can use anything really - try Turkish pide!)
• Fresh free-range eggs
• Avocado
• Lemon
• Chilli powder

Already it sounds like a strange combination - eggs and yoghurt? I hear you. But trust me, the sharp yoghurt and lemon cut through the rich egg and avocado, leaving you with a glorious mess to dunk your toast into.

The recipe is simple: add a generous dollop of yoghurt to your serving bowl and top with two poached eggs (hint: check out my blog post on poaching eggs). Place a few slices of avocado in the bowl,a squeeze of lemon juice and a generous sprinkle of chilli powder and sea salt on top. Last of all, toast slices of bread until golden, lather with butter and dunk into your eggs.

If you're ready to break the mould of bacon and fried eggs on the weekend then give this recipe a go. It's certainly not your usual eggs on toast but it's one of my favourites, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.

P.S. Keep an eye out for my next blog post for the perfect weekday breakfast!

Goodness Gracious

Goodness Gracious opened a few months ago now; a small but perfect little bagel shop on an unlikely corner of New North Road. We popped in for lunch on Saturday, and despite not even being hungry (a rare event) I couldn't resist trying one of their now famous bagels. 

Allie went for The Kransky while Alice and I both chose The Vege Bagel. Again, an uncharacteristic decision but the temptation of fried haloumi had me sold.

The bagels were delicious, though I don't think they quite stood up against the mighty bagels at Best Ugly. In saying that, at Goodness Gracious they are very good and are served completely differently, so probably shouldn't be compared too closely.

It is the perfect place to stop in for a coffee too, though I bet if you go for coffee you'll walk out with a bagel!

Breakfast: Stewed Plums on Muesli

Breakfast and I have a funny relationship. We didn't get along until I was about 20 years old, but now I can't cope without it. Whether it's sliced tomato with a dash of hot sauce on toast, a decadent eggs benedict, or just simple muesli, it's now one of my favourite parts of the day (after lunch and dinner of course).

My new breakfast of choice is stewed plums on muesli- I know this is not the most challenging recipe (it would probably give two minute noodles a run for it's money)- but hey, it tastes AWESOME.

Stewed Plums (4 servings)

• 12 Plums 
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar (or more if don't like it too tart)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cut the plums in half, remove the stone, and place in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients.

Cook over a medium/low heat for about 10 minutes, or until soft.

See, told you it was easy.

I served my plums over a simple bircher muesli (oats/dry muesli soaked in milk), topped with natural yoghurt and a sprinkle of almonds. You can even pre-make the whole thing the night before so it's ready for you to gobble down in the morning. Yum!

P.S. These plums are also amazing on a big bowl of vanilla ice-cream ... (but you didn't hear it from me)

Shaky Isles | Terrarium Kingsland

I usually prefer going out for lunch or dinner, but over the past few months I've found myself returning to Shaky Isles in Kingsland for breakfast over and over again. It does help that it's about a minutes stroll up the road from home, but in saying that, Kingsland is bursting with great cafes, yet it's Shaky Isles that has won my heart.

The menu is big, and full of surprises. From childhood reminiscent soft boiled eggs with soldiers to Huevos Rancheros, this menu will knock the pants off your Vogels and Marmite.

To kick off I chose the Acai Super Berry Smoothie, possibly one of the best smoothies I've ever had. No, not possibly, definitely the best. With a sharp tang from the yoghurt, the sweetness of the bananas, and sour berries, this match made in smoothie-heaven is definitely one to try.

James said his flat white was OK, but not fantastic. As a former coffee addict I know how a coffee can make or break your day, so maybe go for a smoothie (did I mention the berry one is good?), or else try their cold brew coffee if you're not willing to risk it.

On a better note, the food was, and always is fantastic. This time I chose the soft boiled eggs with bacon, while James went for a classic eggs benne on brioche, which he reckons is one of the best benedicts around (and I'd believe him because it's the only thing he ever orders).

After gobbling up the last bit of toast, and slurping down my smoothie, it was time to leave. I wasn't quite ready to go back home and do the washing (not at all procrastinating, of course) so I popped into a few of my favourite shops on the way home. I got a surprise heading to one of the stores, discovering that it had been transformed into a new shop named 'Terrarium' by some very talented ladies.

Terrarium is where Lisa from My Deer Fox and Georgia Jay have set up a workshop/retail store showcasing their beautiful handmade bags, bracelets and other amazing treats. The shop is still in the early stages, and they are hoping to get a few more creative types into the space, so it's definitely worth keeping an eye on. Most importantly though, the bags are absolutely beautiful, and while I reined myself in by not buying one, I ended up walking out with one of the gorgeous My Deer Fox bracelets which are made to custom order.

I may be biased, but Kingsland is pretty damn awesome, and with more and more places like Shaky Isles and Terrarium popping up, it's certainly worth a visit.