Shake Up Your Wake Up with Breakfast Week
TV chef Phil Vickery is calling on the nation to shake up its wake up and celebrate the most important meal of the day this Breakfast Week (25th– 31st January 2015). Breakfast Week is organised on behalf of UK cereal farmers and producers, who grow and make the foods we all enjoy at breakfast.
Research shows that eating breakfast can give you more energy, help reduce stress levels, improve concentration, mood and may even help you to manage your weight[i],[ii],[iii],[iv]. However, a survey[v] conducted for Breakfast Week shows that a worrying quarter (25%) of people are skipping breakfast once or more during the week, with more than one in ten (13%) never eating it. Getting ready for the day takes priority for 28 per cent, followed by catching up on sleep (25%). Despite this, 25% of people complain of feeling tired and low in energy if they have missed breakfast.
[i] Breakfast Skipping and Health Compromising Behaviors in Adolescents and Adults, Helsinki University, published in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation July 2003
Chef Phil Vickery said: “With busy lifestyles we sometimes neglect breakfast, but in my opinion it provides many benefits and helps set you up for the day ahead. With so much choice and variety, you will be able to find something to suit your lifestyle. It’s also one of the meals that I think as a nation we do best, so why not give it a go this Breakfast Week and see the difference eating breakfast can make.”
Phil Vickery shares his top breakfast tips to shake up your wake up:
- How to make the perfect porridge: Well, believe it or not I find the best way is in a microwave. Yes, microwave! I add double the amount of water or milk to oats and cook over a high heat for 2 minutes. Remove, stir well and cook for a further couple of minutes. The more you stir the creamier it will become. In fact I have found that making it the day before and re-warming is just as good.
- The best and easiest way to poach an egg: Add a little salt to boiling water, plus add a little acid such as vinegar or lemon juice, this will help to set the whites. The other thing to remember is the fresher the egg the better as the white sets quickly and coats the yolk perfectly. Once the egg is half cooked, lift the pan off the stove and leave for a couple of minutes to finish cooking perfectly.
- For deliciously crispy bacon: I always say that to get crispy bacon, the best thing to do is fry gently, so the meat crispens in its own fat, or grill on a medium heat, and cook gently. The golden rule of cooking any pork joint or product, is to cook slower and for slightly longer for the best results.
- Perfect pancakes: Hot pan, I use lard to cook my pancakes in (my mother swore by it) plus make sure the mix is not too thick. These can also be made the day before and cling filmed, then warmed to order.
- Give your granola the wow factor:
- When I make my own granola, I mix all the dry ingredients together with sugar or syrup and gently bake in a moderate oven so the ingredients are toasted. It gives the finished cereal a lovely colour, crunchiness and taste. Then cool, break up and add the dried fruit
As part of the celebrations to help inspire people to reprioritise breakfast, the Best Breakfast Awards are returning for a second year and you can help choose the winner! Eateries of all types, from cafes and coffee shops through to restaurants, hotels, B&Bs and food vans, will all be calling on their customers to support them. You can vote for your favourite breakfast dish from December at www.shakeupyourwakeup.com and the winners will be announced during Breakfast Week. Phil Vickery will also be personally visiting one venue to give out a special judges award for the most unique or innovative breakfast, so you could find yourself at the next table to the TV chef himself!
Hundreds of breakfast events will also be taking place around the country during the week. These range from breakfast promotions and special offers through to local community breakfasts and breakfast tastings.
For inspiring breakfast recipes, to vote in the Breakfast Awards or find a local event to you, visit www.shakeupyourwakeup.com.
Keep up to date with news and activities on Twitter @breakfastweek and www.facebook.com/shakeupyourwakeup where you can share your breakfast moments in a photo contest.
[ii] The Cognitive Effects of Breakfast Study, Mindlab Laboratory, Sussex Innovation Centre, Brighton (March 2012)
[iii] Cognitive Drug Research, in conjunction with HGCA (2004)
[iv] A three-month trial at San Raffaele Rome Open University where two groups of women had identical diets but one group ate 70% of their calories at breakfast, morning snack and lunch; and the second group had 55% and the rest of their calories in the afternoon and evening. Both groups lost weight but the morning eaters lost more weight than the afternoon group. Reported in the Daily Mail in June 2014http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2653256/Why-big-breakfast-helps-lose-weight.html
[v] A survey conducted on behalf of Breakfast Week by One Poll. 2,000 UK adults were surveyed online between Friday 29th November and Monday 2nd December 2013
