I want to share some new research that I thought might be of interest. Lyle’s Golden Syrup has revealed that alarmingly 42% of Brits describe their morning as the worst part of their day. Morning misery really is rife, with over 22 million Brits also revealing they don’t muster up a smile before 9am.
Londoners are officially the most miserable morning people, with half (50%) of the population of London claiming the morning is the most stressful part of their day, closely followed by the people form the North West (45%) and the North East (43%).
Running late for work (41%), getting the kids ready for school (24%), not having time to eat or prepare breakfast (20%) and looking for your keys (18%) are the top sources of morning stress. These morning pressures are also affecting people’s mood, with over a third (34%) revealing they become irritable, anxious (25%) and snappy (22%) in the morning.
To turn frowns upside down and spread smiles in the morning, Lyle’s Golden Syrup has some delicious range of breakfast recipes including piping hot porridge and fluffy pancakes.
See below for a nice selections:
Basic Pancakes
Time to prepare: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Makes: 8
Ingredients:
300ml full fat milk
2 medium eggs
125g plain flour
25g butter, melted
Extra melted butter or vegetable oil for frying
Method:
- Put the milk and eggs into a jug and whisk together. Put the flour into a large bowl, and make a hallow in the centre. Gradually pour the milk mixture into the centre, whisking as you pour continue whisking until you have a smooth batter, then whisk in the melted butter.
Alternatively put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and whizz until smooth.
- To cook the pancakes, use a non-stick 18cm pan for best results. Heat the pan on medium heat until there is a slight haze coming from it.
- Brush the pan with butter or oil then pour in abut 70ml of batter, use a small ladle if available. Tilt the pan so the batter evenly covers the bottom of the pan.
- Cook for about 1 minute or until the liquid batter has set and the pancake is golden. Loosen the edges of the pancake with a spatula and give a little shake – it should come loose and move in the pan.
- Either flip the pancake or turn it over using a fish slice, then cook for a further minute. Continue to cook more pancakes in the same way.
Blueberry and Lemon Syrup Stack
Time to prepare: 15 minutes
Cooking time: approx 30 minutes
Makes: 16
Ingredients
1 300g self-raising flour
2 Grated zest 1 unwaxed lemon
3 3 medium eggs
4 4 level tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup®
5 25g butter, melted
6 300ml milk
7 225g fresh blueberries
8 Oil for frying
Lemon Syrup:
- 1 large unwaxed lemon
- 4 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup®
Method
- Make the lemon syrup first, using a vegetable peeler, peel strips of zest from the large lemon. Stack two or three strips and with a sharp knife, cut thin shreds, put into a pan with the Lyle’s Golden Syrup® and the juice from the lemon. Simmer 2-3 minutes until the liquid is syrupy.
- For the pancakes, mix the flour with the grated lemon zest. Beat the eggs, Lyle’s Golden Syrup® and butter until smooth, whisk in the milk. Make a well in the flour and gradually add the egg mixture, stirring all the time to make a thick smooth batter. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan, and brush with oil. Spoon in a full tablespoon of batter, add two more, leaving a little space between for them to spread. Cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes until small bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook on the other side until golden. Keep warm whilst cooking the rest of the pancakes.
Stack and serve with the lemon syrup.
Banana Chocolate Pancakes
For 8 pancakes
10g butter
3 medium bananas, peeled and chopped or sliced
10g chocolate, grated
3 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup
Heat the butter in a medium frying pan, add the bananas and cook for 1 minute. Add the Golden Syrup and heat through. Place a pancake on a plate, spoon some syrupy banana onto one half, fold the top half over and scatter over grated chocolate.
Porridge with crispy bacon
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes
for the topping
2-3 rashers rindless streaky bacon
Lyle’s Golden Syrup, to serve for the porridge
40g (1½oz) Mornflake organic oats
275ml (10floz) milk or milk & water
Preheat the grill. Place the bacon on a baking tray and grill for 3-4 minutes until crisp and golden, turning once. Remove and cut or break into pieces.
Combine the oats and milk in a small non-stick pan. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously for 1 minute until smooth. Leave to stand for 1 minute before transferring to a bowl.
Top the porridge with the bacon and serve with Lyle’s Golden Syrup.
Porridge with blueberries and hazelnuts
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2-3 minutes
For the topping
10g (½oz) blanched hazelnuts
50g (2oz) blueberries
1 heaped dsp mixed seeds – sunflower, pumpkin, linseed, hemp & sesame
LYLE’S GOLDEN SYRUP®, to serve for the porridge
40g (1½oz) porridge oats
275ml (10floz) milk or milk & water
Put the hazelnuts in a small non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat and fry for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool and roughly chop.
Combine the oats and milk in a small non-stick pan. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously for 1 minute until smooth. Leave to stand for 1 minute before transferring to a bowl.
Top the porridge with the blueberries, hazelnuts and seeds and serve with LYLE’S GOLDEN SYRUP®.
Porridge with Greek yoghurt and crispy oatmeal clusters
Serves: 1
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes
For the topping
20g (¾oz) unsalted butter
2 rounded tbsp Mornflake organic oats
2 tsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup® + extra to serve
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
For the porridge
40g (1½oz) Mornflake organic oats
275ml (10floz) milk or milk & water
Make the oat topping first. Heat the butter in a small non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat, add the oats and Lyle’s Golden Syrup®. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon for 3-4 minutes until toasted and golden brown. Tip onto a plate to cool and harden.
Combine the oats and milk in a small non-stick pan. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously for 1 minute until smooth. Leave to stand for 1 minute before transferring to a bowl. Top with the yoghurt, scatter over the oat clusters and serve with Lyle’s Golden Syrup®.
