What's for breakfast?

Ste Juliette
Yesterday's weather was nothing to write home about.

We never used to eat breakfast. I would occasionally have a bowl of cereal in the office whilst deleting the truck loads of spam that I found in my e-mail in box every morning. I believe Jon has been known to have the occasional mid-morning bacon sandwich or sausage roll, but breakfast was not something we really bothered about during the week. Perhaps it was because we used to leave home so early. We were usually out of the house by 7.30 at the latest and eating at such an anti-social hour was just that, anti-social. In fact we didn't even speak some mornings. We had our own morning routines, taking turns in the bathroom in strict rotation, feeding the cats and cleaning their litter trays, then out through the front door and off in our different directions. In the last couple of months before our move we shared the car which meant a slightly earlier start for me, or a walk to the station, but breakfast never did figure except on Saturday and Sunday.

Now we are together all the time and no mornings are rushed so we find ourselves face to face across the breakfast table listening to the Today programme on Radio 4. Breakfast is becoming a challenge to me. I am trying to find something different every day, well, at least seven different options so we don't get bored. This isn't easy. jon doesn't like cereals; croissants are nice but only if they are fresh, likewise pain au raisin. I make my own bread a couple of times a week, but we're getting bored with toast and Marmite or honey. Boiled egg is another option but we try not to eat too many eggs each week. Fresh fruit salad makes a nice change, local melons are delicious at the moment, but I'm searching for something different.

I found a recipe recently for hash browns. They were delicious for lunch but I couldn't eat them for breakfast because they have chilli, green pepper and onions in. Breakfast is too early for such strong flavours. It's the same with fish. Kedgeree is a dish I could never face first thing in the morning - or kippers - just the smell of kippers would have me rushing from the room, reminiscent of days of morning sickness. We have a friend who has been known to eat cold Chinese take away for breakfast, and I remember another, the morning after a party, eating left over garlic bread.

So any suggestions for a nice bland breakfast dish will be recieved with relief.