Breakfast.  They say it is the most important meal of the day.  Most of us stick to the same breakfast day in, day out because it suits our routine and we like it.  We may occasionally splash out with bacon and eggs on the weekend.  It was only during our recent trip to Hong Kong and the sumptuous buffet breakfast we indulged in every morning at the hotel, that I actually thought about and considered all the different types of breakfasts we eat.

There is cereal, yoghurt, fruit, pastries, cold meats and cheeses, toast, the fully cooked version of bacon, sausage, hash browns, tomatoes, baked beans and eggs in any way imaginable and then there is the Asian breakfast of congee and pork belly.  Usually I am a porridge girl at home and my husband loves his Weetbix but when faced with this amazing selection, I’m afraid the glutton in me took over.  After all, this is the meal that is supposed to set me up for the rest of the day, right?

It didn’t take me long to work out the breakfast that was going to work for me: a bowl of Bircher muesli with apricots followed by scrambled eggs with bacon, pork sausage, chicken sausage and baked beans nicely rounded off with a Danish pastry and all washed down with copious cups of English breakfast tea.  The gluttonous side of my personality even forced me back for seconds on occasion but, in my defence, the plates were small!

Anyway, all this is leading to my re-discovery of wonderful Bircher muesli – I had forgotten just how yummy it is with the added bonus that it is very good for you.  Since returning home, my porridge has disappeared to the back of the pantry and I have now taken to eating Bircher muesli.  It is easily prepared the night before and keeps me going to lunchtime without any hunger pangs.  I must admit I even had some for lunch the other day!  Here is the basic recipe I have been preparing but it can be tweaked to suit your own personal preferences.  The quantity will serve four easily and can be halved or doubled, again to suit you but it will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Bircher Muesli

2 cups of good quality Muesli with rolled oats (I buy a locally prepared one from the Farmers Market which already has nuts and dried fruit in it but you could make your own from scratch if you prefer)

1 cup of Apple Juice

1 cup of Greek Yoghurt with Honey (or use plain yoghurt and add honey to taste)

Put all the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix.  Cover with cling film and put in the refrigerator overnight.  The next morning your Bircher muesli will be ready to eat.  If the consistency is a little too thick for you, this can be thinned down by adding milk.  I then add fresh fruit – usually banana and/or strawberries but if I don’t have anything, I take frozen berries out of the freezer at the same time I make the muesli and they are ready to be added in the morning.

Of course, if you are still hungry (or on holiday), you can then prepare the bacon and eggs………