This is the first in what we hope will become a semi-regular feature on our blog, celebrating the meal between breakfast and lunch - something Becca is passionate about...
Brunch Club is an idea I've had for a good number of years, but because of irregular working patterns and (let's be honest) an inability to juggle my social diary when I did have a Saturday/Sunday off, it's never really happened... until now!
I love breakfast food - like, really love breakfast food. There's mornings when I could really do with in a lie-in, but if I wake up earlier than intended and the idea of poached eggs and spinach or granola and honey-drenched yoghurt pops into my head, that's it. I'm compelled to get up and hunter-gather (i.e. stick the kettle on and open the fridge).
I also love spending quality time with my friends. And by quality I actually mean relaxed and lazy - time when there's no distractions, no pressure to dress-up or talk about office politics.
So last Sunday we held our first Brunch Club - just three couples. We prepared the food together, we ate - lots, we tidied away, we watched football, we talked weddings and business and kitchen designs, we listened to music, and we discovered I don't own enough crockery or cutlery to host more than four people at a time...
The Menu: Continental-ish
- Poached eggs and avocado sprinkled with pepper and lava salt
- Camembert baked with rosemary
- Continental meats and tomatoes
- Sourdough toast, warm croissants
- Icelandic layered pots (mini recipe below)
- Coffee, tea, orange and apple juice, mint and elderflower mocktails
The Recipe: Icelandic layered pots
This was the sweet element of our brunch, inspired by the breakfast enjoyed in an amazing hostel on my recent trip to Iceland.
Now, I'll admit, I cheated a little due to time constraints and didn't make my own granola - but Elle has a great homemade recipe you can try. I did however make the compote, which is mega simple and involves non of the faffing-with-thermometers you get with jam making.
- The night before: wash and cut up your fruit of choice (I went with strawberries and raspberries from Leicester Market). I used the American cups system for this recipe. Add three cups of fruit to a saucepan and add a splash of orange juice , plus a teaspoon of cinnamon. Heat until bubbling, then reduce the heat until the fruit softens - it helps to squash the strawberries down a little with a spoon. Add honey to your desired sweetness - I preferred to keep mine a little sharp. Cool down in a bowl, cover and pop in the fridge.
- The day of brunch: this is very much a 'do-it-yourself' dish. We just laid out the cooled compote, two pots of Skye (Icelandic yoghurt) and a bag of granola, and invited people to fill their own wine glass (did I mention my lack of serving dishes?) with layers of all three.