Tea for One

There's something utterly delicious about having tea from a tea pot. Normally, I'm a dip a tea-bag in, give it a swish and a squeeze, kind of gal, but when I make the time to sit and have a proper breakfast with proper tea, the world is a better place. As my other half works, I'm often left to my own devices on Saturdays and I always try and have a proper breakfast, with proper tea, from a proper tea pot. It gives me a chance to quietly gather my thoughts and decide my plan of action for the day before I throw myself into my mental busy-ness.

I remember when I was 19 I was at work when I heard the news that a dear friend of mine had passed away. I travelled home from work, crying all the way and when I arrived home, the guy that I lived with opened the door just as I was reaching for my keys. With tears streaming down my face I stepped inside, trying to explain what was the matter. I don't think this guy, and his friend who was there, really had a clue what to do with a hysterical girl so they just said, in all its simplicity, 'D'ya want a cuppa' tea?'. And the world was a better place.

Recipe: On-the-go Breakfast Bars

Want to keep hunger locked up 'til lunch but don't have time to rustle up the most important meal of the day? Believe me, I know exactly where you're coming from! I leave the house at 7am and embark on a two hour commute so a healthy breakfast is always something of a quandry! This recipe, though, has made it onto my must-do things for Sunday afternoons, so that I have a batch ready to last me for the week. I first found it on BBC Good Food, but have adapted it to include all the yummy things I like!

Makes about 14 pieces

Ingredients

50g butter

2 x small ripe bananas

3tbsp golden syrup

85g demerera sugar

140g porridge oats

Half tsp ground cinamon

50g dessicated coconut

2tbsp linseeds, slightly crushed

1tbsp sesame seeds

100g chopped hazelnuts

1. Melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a pan.

2. Add the bananas, mashed.

3. Add everything else, stirring in well.

4. Place the mixture in a greased tin and spread out into the corners.

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 160C / gas mark 3.

Of course, this is something that you could throw just about anything into. I'm keen to experiment with some dried fruit at some point so I'll let you know how it goes!