The Mousetrap Inn, Bourton on the Water

When your friend opens up a pub, you desperately want it to be good. You hope that you'll love it, love it enough to want to go there regularly, and hope that it's a hit with other people too. You're pretty sure that it'll be great - it is your friend after all - but there's that worry that it might not be how you expected, dreading the thought of having to lie.

Thankfully, on this occasion, no lies needed.

My friend is Frank, the GM of The Mousetrap Inn in Bourton on the Water, and although he doesn't own the pub, he's been a key part of its opening (or rather re-opening) and development from the ropey old pub that it was before. You'll recognise him as the tall one with tattoos, probably dressed head to toe in black. If he's not behind the bar, you're guaranteed to find him in London or Cheltenham scouting out the best burgers and fried chicken around, with beers and strong cocktails a dead cert too. Chat to him about any of these things and you'll get along just fine.

It's not just Frank with his fingers on the food and drink pulse though, The Mousetrap is driven by the guys behind Coffeesmith in Witney and The Rookery in Farringdon. Instant cool points. This place certainly stands out in comparison to Bourton's other sugar-coated touristy offerings.

The interiors have the perfect balance of stone walls and Farrow & Ball, with trendy tiled flooring thrown in the mix too. Slump into a comfy sofa by the fire and flick through one of the cookbooks that are dotted around, or pull up a stool at the bar and pick your pint; North Cotswold CAMRA recently named The Mousetrap as 'Pub of the Season' thanks to their excellent draught beers. Though you might also become seduced by the selection of spirits, twinkling underneath the fairy lights, settling in with a decent G&T.

Food is why we're here though, and it's reassuring to see that on a Saturday night, mid-Feb, it is fully booked. Groups, couples, dogs, both local and visiting. The menu manages to fit in all of those familiar faces - sausage and mash, steaks, burgers and fish and chips - whilst also charming us with a number of fancier sounding 'gastropub' dishes. Sorry, I hate that word too. But pan fried chicken, wild mushroom and fresh truffle risotto, perhaps? Or pork tenderloin with fondant potato and caramelised apples? Oh, and Saturday sees an extra page of specials if it wasn't already hard enough to decide!

Having spent the last couple of hours, really quite hungry, in a not-so-nice pub watching the rugby, we hastily ordered some fried foods. It'll always be whitebait whenever they're on a menu, £6.50 for a handful or two, served with a kick ass homemade tartare sauce. A little heavy on the batter perhaps - I love seeing flashes of their silvery skin - though a good'un nonetheless.

Also £6.50 is the Salt & Pepper Squid, something that's a classic at our fave, The Tavern Cheltenham. Whilst this one doesn't come with a scattering of chilli and spring onion, and its batter more breadcrumbed than tempura-esque, it's just the ticket with a squeeze of lemon and some decent mayo to dip in.

The Chap and I both go off the specials for mains, though I've now got FOMO for not having tried their Rump Steak Cheeseburger (£14.50), and I do wonder just how awesome the 'Awesome Chilli Con Carne' (£14.50) was… Still, I was more than happy with my choice; sea trout with beetroot concasse, new potatoes and pickled beetroot salad (£18.50). A more health conscious option - less carbs and a bigger boost of veg - with the oily flesh and crackling skin of the trout tying everything together. Both delicate and delicious.

Gressingham duck breast with chorizo potatoes and seasonal vegetables (£21.90 - the most expensive on the menu) was a richer affair; sliced pink and proud, with the fat rendered and crisp. The sauce too - thick and glossy, meaty and smoky - golden from the chorizo hues. Kudos to The Mousetrap for not going down the more obvious duck with some sort of fruit route, and proof that the addition of chorizo can never be a bad thing.

The dessert menu isn't quite as exciting as the rest, with three chocolate variations taking up most of the room. Warm fudge cake, a trio of mousses and a brownie with ice cream. All hitting that sweet spot, I'm sure, but chocolate desserts aren't really my thing. Instead we did sharesies on the tart lemon and raspberry posset (£7) - which, with a biscuit base, definitely felt more like a cheesecake - and the sticky toffee pudding (£6.50) - the winner. A light and fluffy steamed sponge saturated in a syrupy sauce, striking that balance of being indulgent without risk of heart attack.

Service was attentive and speedy; we managed to squeeze in our three courses in just over an hour. Not that we were in a rush though, we had a room upstairs. Yep, as the name suggests, The Mousetrap Inn has 10 bedrooms for overnight stays. They haven't been revamped like the rest of the pub yet, but they're set to do it soon. I don't doubt that they'll be exactly the 'Cotswold Cool' that Bourton craves. And a Coffeesmith coffee alongside your avocado on toast for breakfast the next morning? A far cry from the only-option-greasy-fry-ups that you'd usually get (though a Full English is also available). 

Frank's an excellent host and we had such a great time at The Mousetrap. It's one of those places that, if you're a local, you could easily make it your second home, or if you're visiting you'll be glad you came across it. It's not super fancy - it's not trying to be - nor is it trying to pile in the hordes of tourists; it's just an honest pub and I'll happily recommend it. 

Three Days of Kindness with Kindness & Co

It's cold. It's grey. It's wet. Ugh… January blues. It's easy to look past the rubbish weather as you near the end of the year; all the twinkly lights and dazzling decorations are a good distraction whilst you count down the days until there's "NO MORE WORK." Get your coat, you're on holiday.

Christmas is all fun and games - fine foods and festive drinkies galore - but you don't come out the other side unscathed. It's the extra glug of brandy and the extra pour of cream - 'cause Christmas - not to mention the mountain of chocolate that could be rationed for the entire year (definitely won't), the never-ending cheese board (not another cheese sauce?), and the open bottles of port and sherry that demand to be drunk before they go past their best (yes, that's a thing).

And so we find ourselves in The New Year Awakening. The merry mischief's over and you're noticing a few more of those unwanted lumps and bumps. "Curse you mince pies!" *shakes fist* Thankfully, Cheltenham's health food gurus Kindness & Co are here to prise you out of that post Christmas gluttony rut with their new food program.

Branded as Three Days of Kindness, the town centre café prepares you three days of nutritious breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with snacks to curb those hunger pangs. Everything is made fresh daily, boxed up in recyclable packaging, and you can either collect or have it delivered.

Health kicks are all the rage at this time of year, and as we see the back of dry January - phew - it's about now that people give in to their fad diets. Whilst you're encouraged to avoid caffeine and alcohol over the three days, Kindness & Co's package is more of a focus on wellbeing rather than restricting yourself. The time you'd normally spend planning, shopping and cooking meals is now free to concentrate on your own health, and taking the decision making out of eating means you're more likely to stick to the plan (the £105 price tag is a good incentive too).

They say that by eating three balanced meals a day - no coffee, sugary snacks or post-work glasses of wine - and drinking 1.5-2 litres of water a day should not only help you get a better nights sleep, but you should feel lighter, energised and more alert. So before Kindness & Co officially launched their plan, I got the chance to test it out to see if it was as good as it sounded.

I'm no stranger to these kinds of programs, I've done juice cleanses with Jay Halford at The Core before (who's coincidentally now working with Kindness & Co) and also with Applebar in the centre of town (which I'd highly recommend). I'm used to cutting out the crap when I need to, and in doing the 5:2 Diet, I can feel satisfied on not a huge amount of food. And that's the first thing I noticed; there was quite a lot of food! Here are my Three Days of Kindness menu boxes:

Breakfast: Muesli, yoghurt, fresh fruit
Lunch: Quinoa Tabbouleh with coriander, mint, tomato and red onion
Dinner: Veggie chilli served with roasted sweet potato

Breakfast: Raspberry smoothie bowl with nuts and banana
Lunch: Butter bean puree, tomato salsa, wilted kale and roasted courgette
Dinner: Sweet corn fritters with baby spinach and tomato salsa

Breakfast: Fresh berry overnight oats
Lunch: Baked cauliflower, chickpea, rocket and cranberry salad with tahini dressing and pistachio
Dinner: Garden pea and mint soup

Snacks each day: A piece of fruit, a pot of nuts and two Kindness Energy Balls... I'm a sucker for an energy ball.

I looked forward to picking up each day's food; there's something exciting about being cooked for (The Chap should take note). And not having to think about meals for a few days felt like I gained some freedom (because I basically think about food 24/7). What a luxury. 

None of the boxes contained those free-from substitutes or lengthily-named ingredients, they were all just packed with familiar, inherently healthy foods. The cauliflower, cranberry and tahini salad was a joy to eat - I'm going back to Kindness & Co to get my hands on some more - and there was no chance you'd miss meat in the spicy bean loaded chilli. 

I tend to eat a lot of these things at home anyway, so for me it's not something I'd splurge on, but for those that want to hit the ground running, it's a great way to get a head start. That said, I was inspired to make a big batch of overnight oats for the rest of the week's breakfasts, and tomato salsa has been creeping into our dinners much more than it did before.  

I personally didn't lose any weight, but Kindness & Co isn't really about that. I did, however, feel more in tune with myself and really enjoyed having some "time off". Healthier and happier; that's what it's all about, right?

If you're interested in the Three Days of Kindness program, then check out Kindness & Co's website or pop in to chat to them. It's £95 if you collect - they're pretty flexible - or £105 to be delivered within a certain radius of Cheltenham. Easy.

Weekend Brunch at The Bottle of Sauce

Now that Cheltenham Festival is over for another year, we can finally talk more sensibly about brunch. The past month has all been about promoting those gut busting, overloaded 'Race Week Breakfasts', no matter where you looked. I'm betting that the majority were easily more than the recommended daily calorie intake, and that's before you've hit up the Guinness for a full day, celebrated a win with some fizz and scoffed a large portion of chips on the way home. Can normal service resume now? I think so…

Last month, everyone's new fave hangout The Bottle of Sauce invited a group of us local bloggers for a special 'Bloggers Brunch'. You might remember their previous burger heavy event that I featured at the start of the year, though if not you can familiarize yourself with it *here*. Armed with appetites, cameras and phones - standard - we congregated in the private dining area (which seats up to 12) and perused the menu.

Despite not needing a 'hair of the dog', I'm not one to turn down some early morning drinking, so went straight in with a Bloody Mary. It's £6.50 for one, but if you're feeling particularly sorry for yourself then you can get Bottomless Marys for a tenner. The Dodo Pub Co have their own secret spice mix, of which they'll ask you your heat preference, and alongside vodka they use a splash of Tio Pepe Fino Sherry. Swoon.

The Bottle of Sauce's brunch menu generally has something for everyone; go traditional, sweet, healthy, or something a little different. As you might've guessed, we basically ordered the whole shebang. Surprisingly, the one dish we missed off was the Eggs Benny (£8.50), and also the side of Cheesy Chipotle Beans (£4), but I'll save those for next time.

The Chap wasn't with me for this one, so I had my gorgeous friend K there instead; someone who's much more willing to share. Bingo. Whilst everyone else was going in on the Boss Man fry ups (£10), between us we had the Chilli Avo' Smash (£7) - what's brunch without avocado on toast (?!) - The Big Squeak breakfast burger type thing (£6.50) and Buttermilk Pancakes for 'dessert' (£7). There were also a few plates of Breakfast Fries (£4.50) lurking on the table; salty fries topped with two fried eggs, runny yolks n'all. Probably more appropriate if having brunch after midday. Probably.

The Avo' Smash comes on a decent doorstop wedge of sourdough, and topped with two perfectly poached - and very Instagram-able - eggs. A good execution, but we both felt the chilli, lime and coriander were a bit tame. A wedge of lime on the side and some hot sauce on the table wouldn't go a miss, but that's coming from a citrus and spice fiend.

The Big Squeak is a bubble and squeak patty topped with american cheese, a juicy portobello mushroom and a fried egg, all in one of The Bottle of Sauce's signature glossy sesame buns. It's veggie, but you certainly don't miss the meat. The Morning Glory (£7.50) has a sausage patty and bacon if you really are a devout carnivore though. There's ketchup on all the tables, which I slathered on, but again I think a hot sauce would make it a knockout option. I'm sure if I'd have asked, the staff would have been more than happy to get some from the kitchen, but being in a big group with orders coming at various times, it wasn't very practical… Chilli sauce for the tables, yeah?

There are two options for the buttermilk pancakes, either Kelmscott dry cured bacon and maple syrup - classic - or what we went for, rum roasted pineapple and whipped coconut cream. It was news to me that you could whip coconut cream in the same way as regular cream; the consistency was pretty much identical. Mental note taken.

Three fat fluffy pancakes piled on top of each other seemed a decent portion for the price, and the chunks of sweet and sticky rum roasted pineapple were eye-rollingly good. We just needed more of it! It's like going out for a roast; there's never enough gravy. More pineapple and another dollop of that coconut cream would've sealed the deal. As it was, leisurely chomping our way through them and catching up over a latte was just fine (the coffee is crackin' here too).

So if you've only ever ventured into The Bottle of Sauce for a booze fueled feed of burgers, pizzas and wings, you should definitely try them in the cold light of day for their brunch menu. Don't go with too much planned after though, those Bottomless Bloody Marys might catch you out…

Love Liverpool

A fleeting trip to Liverpool for a family party meant that I could scout out a couple of good places to eat and drink for the weekend. As you might have figured out, I like to taste my way around new places, and I'm most definitely one of those people who comes back from holiday fatter, not fitter.

Free Waitrose coffee firmly in place in the cup holder, off we went through wind and rain, competitively counting Eddie Stobart's along the way (I lost - by quite a few). Having set off on empty tummies, first stop was breakfast. Indie run Bold Street Coffee has quite a reputation in the city, three years in a row they have won best coffee shop in the Liverpool Food & Drink Awards, so it was a no brainer really. Having always been a fan of the caffeinated bean, I'm finding myself more particular on how I like my daily cup these days. I'm not opposed to the big chains such as Costa or Cafe Nero (I never go to Starbucks though), but the whole queuing to order, queuing to take your own coffee to the table kind of thing isn't a pleasant experience when you're trying to enjoy the act of 'going for a coffee'. Lets face it, they all look identical anyway, so, when I'm off on a jolly, I always make a conscious effort to find a decent independent joint.

Bold Street is a place for serious coffee lovers; various beans, various brews, and they have not-your-standard-Twynings tea for those crazy haters too. It's not the sort of place with slouchy leather sofas and big comfy chairs; it's no frills tables, chairs and long benches. You'll probably be almost too close for comfort to the neighbouring couple, but it doesn't matter, they're either too engaged in work-related-chats over their laptops, or busy nattering and tucking into their food. Which gets me swiftly onto the food.. Bold Street have a superb breakfast menu to complement their coffees, and at the weekend they're available all the way til 4pm; perfect for those persistant hangovers (I sure wish this place was my local). They have all the traditional's - bacon sarnies, a range of eggs on toast, etc - but done a little posher (this is no greasy spoon), and there's a healthy supply of pastries to tempt you at the counter. What sealed the deal for me, however, was the french toast made with sourdough. I could have had it with bacon and maple syrup, but cinnamon apples and a butterscotch sauce sounded much more appealing; served with a dollop of creme fraiche, I'd put it up there as one of my best breakfasts.

The chap and I hit the shops hard after this (in search of the perfect knitted scarf for me - don't worry, I found one), but all that shopping is very thirsty work, cue afternoon beverage. At the edge of Liverpool One is Salt House Tapas; featured in The Times' 2013 Food List, this charcuteria and tapas bar/restaurant is another Scouse favourite. Had we not already planned our late lunch, this place would have been a definite contender for eats, with plenty of breads/chorizo/serrano on offer. As it was, we simply ventured in for a drink, the chap had a beer whilst I had a ginger/lemon/prosecco combination. Despite it's central location, this place seems like a laid-back-graze-as-you-like-it-retreat, and the service felt personal, so would be a great venue for a multitude of occasions.

A bit of a trek up the road, and we arrived at 'my suggestion' for late lunch. Situated within the Baltic Triangle, in place of what used to be the artspace A Foundation, you'll find Camp & Furnace. It's pretty unassuming from the outside, but being three warehouses wide, this is not your average venue. The bar area is a good place to start; one giant table in the centre of the room, sofas snuggled up to the roaring fire, and dark corners for those kind of days where you'd rather not be noticed. They have a nice selection of wines, spirits and craft beers; perhaps try Brown Bear, which has been especially brewed for C+F.

In contrast, the room next door is a vast open space. Primarily used for events (and fortunately for the chap, they show the footie - not so fortunate for me) the room comes complete with picnic benches, retro caravans, a stage and an abundance of fairy lights; I imagine the late-night happenings are where this place comes into it's own.

As for eats, C+F is a bit like street food meets pub grub meets fine dining. They have interesting soups, stuff on toast, bountiful salads, burgers (note the 'legendary' chorizo burger), roasts, etc; there wasn't a single thing on the menu that I wouldn't have eaten, which is pretty unheard of. Forcing myself to make a decision, I had braised lamb shoulder, with pistachio cous cous, olives, saffron aioli and a scattering of toasted seeds. It was both beautifully cooked and beautifully presented, which you'd probably not expect from a place that is essentially a warehouse. The chap had a more manly meaty meal of braised beef blade, crisp pancetta, smoked onions and egg yolk ketchup (he does love a condiment). If this is anything to go by, their Food Slam Fridays and Social Supperclubs must be amazing. Camp & Furnace is well worth the walk.

That's as far as my taste tourism goes, the rest involved a boozed up party, with a dodgy disco, even dodgier drunk dancing, and a lot of wine spillages on my new dress (good job it was white not red). On that note, I best go collect my things from the dry cleaners; maybe I'll go out in my curlers like those Scouse gals do..

.. Or maybe not. Til next time Liverpool!

A Postcard from London Pt. 2

Day two of our London feasting began with a breakfast of epic proportions. We were staying at No. Ten Manchester Street in Marleybone, which houses the Italian restaurant Dieci, so out with your usual buffet brekkie, and in with a naughty menu of all the Benedict's, pancakes and meaty eats. I had Italian poached eggs, which had the darkest yolks imaginable, served on english muffins, with Norcia black truffle ragout on top. Truffles for breakfast, I really can't think of a more extravagant start to the day.

Bermondsey's Maltby Street Market (with a friend, pictured above!) was our main aim of the day, and after seeing it on Tom Kerridge's programme last month, we couldn't wait to go check it out. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side, but brollies up, we made it in time for Monmouth Coffee catch-ups before lunch. The market on the Ropewalk, has a number of stall holders, both outside and under the railway arches, and is a more concise version of the famous Borough; less crowded and seemingly more sincere. The smaller scale makes it a little easier (not much) for greedy folk like me. When there's too much choice, it becomes almost impossible to decide what to eat (usually I want it all).

Anyway, Monty's Deli has a bit of a reputation - Jewish style, pastrami, swiss cheese, rye, pickles kind of thing - and with a sign on the door saying 'sold out' and a queue still poking out of the archway, there was no chance. We plumped for Market Gourmet's big brioche buns instead, with a tumbler of red wine from the stall opposite. Beef brisket with rarebit and horseradish, and a mean pulled pork with onion/apple/cranberry. If I had to pick, the beef was the winner, and with a 72 hour sous-vide recipe, I'm not surprised.

For dessert, which we had to take away with us for laters, we made a b-line to Poppy & Sebastian's domed delights. I'd seen and heard of the perfectly made patisserie before, mainly thanks to The YBF's (Young British Foodies), in which Poppy won the baking category earlier in the year. The chap had a take on a 'Snickers' (seen above); creamy, chocolatey, peanutty, with a luxurious salted caramel and chocolate pastry base. I had a pistachio green coloured one with a yellow flower on top; it was autumnal, with quince and custard, and almost too pretty to eat. Easily the most exciting patisserie I've ever seen/had.

As we hit the evening, drinks before dinner took us to Beard To Tail; 'Shoreditch Sisters' with Callooh Callay (award winning cocktail bar) but focussed just on meat and whisky, simples. There's a dirty Americana vibe; big meats, big flavours, pickles, bourbon, rye and whisky spelt with an 'ey' - we'll forgive them for that - and it's all very industrial chic, you know the sort. With an impressive looking bar as you walk in, filled with eager boozers, and stuff to look at on the walls, we made ourselves at home. I chose an 'Elegant Illinois', FEW Bourbon, black cherry and violet liqueur, topped with champagne, whilst the other half had his spirit straight up. Down they went, and off for our dinner reservation.

Rotary Bar Diner was our restaurant of choice tonight, if that's what you'd call it. In their words, it's an all day until late-night bar/diner/music; great food, serious booze, and a DJ busting out the tunes in a 70s-teak-retro-kitchen-get-up. It's a pop-up of sorts. It's had it's home here near Old Street for quite a while, but sadly, after a 10 month stint, the building is going to be demolished and re-developed at the end of the year. You'd better go now or regret it later - there's only 21 days left!

Working with Carl Clarke from Disco Bistro, they serve US style food - buns, BBQ, grills - which you can eat in or take away, alongside craft beers and pint sized cocktails for a tenner. They also do a flight of six Mezcals, which, if you polish them off, you get your name up on the hall of fame. The idea of fried foods, dips, slaws, and the likes, doesn't sound like it could carry itself with much finesse, but Rotary goes against those presumptions, and the hype behind it is most certainly deserved.

Armed with a margarita that was bigger than my face, I went for one of the specials, Dexter Veal sirloin cooked on wood, with fermented kimchee and crispy onions. There were so many interesting flavours and textures on the plate, and I had a very generous amount of rosy veal; I'm salivating just thinking about it now. The chap chose Hickory Smoked Belly Ribs, which had a Korean twist, and came with pickles, potato salad and jalapeno cornbread, then some naughty dripping chips on the side. Instantly I had some jealousy, and demanded I try some. Frankly, it was perfect. I don't know whether it was because we weren't expecting it, or what, but it blew us away and we both agreed it was the best food we had eaten out in a long time.

Following that, we had one last mission - Hawker House. No doubt you'll have heard about Street Feast; London's pioneering night market, where the best street food traders, chefs, restaurants and bars come together to take over car parks, warehouses, builders merchants, old tube stations, to 'create a haven for lovers of great food and drink'. Well, this is the latest venture; found somewhere between Hackney and Broadway Market, it's a warm, indoor, knee's up every weekend in the run up to Christmas.

We didn't have any room for anything remotely solid, we were only here for liquid top ups, but if we did find ourselves peckish, there was plenty of choice - BOBs Lobster, Breddos Tacos, Slider Bar, Smokestak, and more. It's free to get in before 8pm, but after that it costs 3 bucks, you do get a 'Hot Shot' on entry though, and you can stay til 2am, so it's a done deal. Drinks wise, Rotary man the main bar, serving up all the staples and more giant cocktails. Street Vin take charge on the wine front, and there's a hot bar, dishing out steamy beverages; boozy hot chocs, hot buttered rum, and the most delicious orangey mulled wine.. Quite festive if you ask me. The main attraction is the whisky bar, choose from a list of 50 or let the Gods decide with the Random Whisky Generator. Or, if you're like me, go for a cocktail - sours, manhattans, old fashioneds - the classics, all served in big milkshake paper cups with a straw.

All year I've been following Tweat_Up/Street Feast on Twitter, absolutely green with envy because of the momentary happenings, effortlessly stylish food and creatively crafted drinks. Now, finally, I've managed to get to one of their events, and it was everything I hoped it would be. I only wish I had a bigger belly to fit all the goods in.

Eat responsibly. Drink dangerously. That's my motto. 

Breakfast with Malcolm Eggs

Early Saturday morning, day two of Cheltenham Literature Festival, and luckily I had tickets for 'The Full English'; a talk with Seb Emina about his new book 'The Breakfast Bible', with added brekkie no less.

I didn't initially have this of my list of things to go to during the ten day event, but after talking to a friend about it, it went straight to the top. Being a massive lover of breakfasts in all shapes and sizes - those crafty little nibbles on the go, long luxurious weekend treats, and even a simple bowl of cereal - why would I not want to go to hear more about this eating ritual we do day in, day out.

To give a little potted history about Seb Emina; it was mid noughties, and whilst there was a great deal of emphasis on food culture and eating out, this only ever seemed to apply to lunch and dinner. Having a love of going out for breakfast, but being riddled with disappointment in all those places that were making just half arsed attempts at it, he took it upon himself to start a blog where he could write about his experiences. So with a pseudonym of Malcolm Eggs, and a band of brothers (and sisters) - called the likes of Blake Pudding, Shreddie Kruger, Dr Sigmund Fried, etc - he coined The London Review of Breakfasts, who are still hungrily munching their way through the cafés of the capital.

You may have heard about Seb recently, on Radio 4's Today Programme he posed the idea that people should never feel obliged to talk at breakfast, and that we shouldn't be offended if the room is completely silent, which then escalated - like a game of Chinese Whispers - to people quoting him to have said that 'couples should not talk at breakfast'. The newspapers got hold of the story, it was printed front page, and even Loose Women got in touch, but of course it was just a statement misconstrued. What he was really getting at was that we should use this time in the morning as a bit of leisure time before we shoot off and go to work; many of us lead such busy lives today, to the point where we might often skip breakfast or just eat on the go, but really we should take the time to sit and enjoy it. This may be solitary time, or time shared, you can just stick the radio on, read the newspaper, and not feel as though you should have a deep conversation, when really you're probably still just waking up. Look at James Bond for example, he's the master of solo breakfasting, but no one questions him; but then again, why would you, he's 007 after all.

'The Breakfast Bible', as the title suggests, tells us everything we need to know about breakfast. From extensive research, *cough* eating a lot, there are apparently nine ingredients which create the perfect 'Full English', that truly British dish; bacon, sausage, egg, mushrooms, tomato, black pudding, baked beans, bread (either toasted or fried) and finally, some sort of potato goods, in most cases a hash brown. Potato seemed to be a somewhat controversial ingredient on the list, particularly when bubble and squeak is suggested, though Seb kindly reassured us (not that I needed convincing) that it's a great way to smuggle greens onto your predominantly beige plate, 'a Trojan Horse for cabbage' if you will.

Thinking about other morning foods; we eat a lot of cereal, it's kind of the ideal breakfast in terms of quickness and ease, or maybe we go traditional with porridge (it was coincidentally the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Championship that day). But if we were to look globally, there doesn't seem to be the same kind of breakfast culture that we have here. On the continent you'll find pastries with meats and cheese, America goes big with lots of sweet/savoury combinations (think pancakes, bacon, maple syrup.. mmm), the far east have rice based dishes, and there are lots of spicy egg options amongst other flavour-loving countries, but essentially most of them tend to eat similar things to what they may have had the night before; there doesn't seem to be that, distinctly different to dinner, repetative eating that us Brit's do. 

So, what else can we find in the book? There's a list of songs that are perfect for boiling an egg to, all of which are just the right time depending on your runniness needs; we're told Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights, or Pulp's Common People are great for soft boiled yolks. A substantial section talks about 'Hair of The Dog', which is quite commonplace amongst weekend breakfasters, and has a long tradition dating back to Homer's Odyssey. Drinks range from the famous Bloody Mary, which just takes the edge off of the morning, to a deadly sounding Corpse Reviver, probably the thing to drink if you want to get back on it. It's packed with recipes, advice, and random facts, such as famous last breakfasts, and strange cereals of the 80s. Like it's subject, this really is the most important book of the day.

A Q&A followed the talk, which gave us an extra insight into the breakfast aficiondo. It turns out he's not a fan of brunch; "it's breakfast grabbing the territory formerly occupied by lunch." And don't even talk to him about breakfast in bed, admitting he has a crumb phobia, he'd much rather be sat eating at a table, he hates that feeling of being "prisoned by kindness with a tray." 

Obviously we all want to know where the best place to go is, and after plenty of umm-ing and ahh-ing, where you could pretty much see his brain sizzling away, he simply said that those typical greasy spoons, with a constant stream of taxi drivers coming through the door, are your best bets. However, if you want something a bit more exravagant, try the new restaurant in The Shard, where he can recommend the eggs benedict, or perhaps The Hawksmoor, which seems to be bringing back the old school stuff like kidneys and liver. Just don't go to Macdonalds though, yeah?

With a nod to the bible, out came a nine piece Full English. Alas, there was no solo breakfasting here - Bond would not be impressed. Instead we shared a table with stangers, all chatting away about their own personal ideas of best breakfasts; it's clearly a subject which divides opinions. Seb knows this though, and when asked what's next on his agenda, he said there's still room for more explanation.. How eggs-citing.