Ok, so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t start everyday with a coffee. I try and eat well, I don’t eat ready meals or fast food but I’m not a health food aficionado – I need caffeine and I need it within half an hour of waking up. And I’m not even a coffee snob; I adore good freshly ground coffee and living in east London there really is no shortage of amazing coffee roasters and cafes – see below for some of my favourites. However I’m Greek Cypriot and I also have a real love for instant coffee. Nescafé especially, as it reminds me of being a kid. (If you have ever been to Greece or Cyprus you’ll know how much the locals love a frappé).

So this morning was a Nescafé morning. The small caffetiere was dirty and being morning and me being lazy I hit the instant stuff. Heaven.

However anything other than coffee in the morning is a struggle. Weekend brunch is a winner, weekday mornings however just feels a little too early. And at the moment, where I am at home a lot of the day it’s quite easy to skip this all-important meal. I am trying to get into a routine though and this morning I wanted to go for a swim and knew I had to eat something first: cue the breakfast smoothie. I’ve really taken to smoothies over the last few months – it’s ‘something’ as opposed to eating nothing and is easy on the digestion for this breakfast-avoider. But most importantly, it’s the 5-a day thing. Actually consuming your 5 a day is hard work and takes dedication, so knowing I’m getting some nutrients feels like a bloomin’ good reason.

So for today’s breakfast I made a ‘raspberry milkshake’, which was incredibly delicious, nutritious and way better than a crusha down the Wimpy.

And the best tip of all? Chop up any ripe fruit you have lying around and freeze in sandwich bags, always ready for a smoothie attack. Reduces waste and makes smoothies lovely and thick – especially bananas, which give you a gorgeous creamy texture.

Here are a few of my favourites. All recipes serve 1. And if you haven’t got frozen bananas, use fresh and add a couple of ice cubes to chill.

 

Raspberry Milkshake

•  A small chopped and frozen banana
• Handful of raspberries
• 8 grapes (or just use a few more raspberries)
• Large spoonful of organic black cherry yoghurt (also be delicious with Coyo – dairy free coconut yoghurt)
• Freshly pressed apple juice

Place all the ingredients into a blender with about 250ml of apple juice. Blitz until you have a smooth and creamy smoothie, adding a little more apple juice till you have your desired consistency.

 

Breakfast on the run

• Heaped tablespoon of rolled oats
• 1 medjool date, stone removed
• A couple of good pinches of ground cinnamon
• A small chopped and frozen banana
• a teaspoon of chia seeds
• Full fat cows milk or almond milk (or any milk of your choice – hazelnut, soya, rice etc)
• A drizzle of honey (I only use honey if I am using cows milk, as the others tend to have a sweetness to them already)

Place all the ingredients into a blender with around 250ml of your preferred milk and leave to sit for 3-4 minutes, to give the chia seeds time to swell up and do their thing. Blitz until you have a smooth creamy texture, adding a little more milk if you think it’s a bit thick.

 

The Popeye

This is based on a favourite of ours where I work, the kermit juice, an absolute winner of a breakfast smoothie. The twist being a squeeze of lime and milled flaxseeds, for optimum iron intake and a hit of omega 3.

•  A small chopped and frozen banana
• 1 small kiwi, peeled and chopped
• Large handful of baby leaf spinach, washed
• A squeeze of lime
• Fresh apple juice
• A tablespoon of milled flaxseed

Place all the ingredients in the blender with around 250ml of the apple juice. Blitz until super smooth, adding a little more juice if needed.

 

Coffee coffee…

So, if you’re ever in London town and want to hit some top coffee spots check out the links below for some of the best beans around.

Monmouth Coffee – Founded in ’78 Monmouth really has been around longer than a lot of these places put together. Expect to queue for what is exceptional coffee and totally worth it (it moves quickly). One of my favourite things? Curling up with a coffee in the Borough Market branch and digging in to the bread, butter and jam in the middle of the large table. All from the market and around £3 for as much as you can eat.

Climpson & Sons – a pioneer in the East London coffee roasting trend, Climpson’s has been around for 9 years and is still one of my favourite brews around. Their Broadway market no-nonsense cafe is always worth a visit, and great value for money.

OZONE – Old St based coffee roasters, this place does an exceptional flat white and some of the best brunch in town. The kedgeree is out of this world.

Caravan Exmouth Market and Caravan Kings Cross – Small batch coffee roasters, the blends are delicious along with superb food. Personal fave is the ham hock hash with poached eggs and mustard hollandaise. Be prepared to queue for a long time on the weekends though.

Allpress – Based in the heart of hipster central, Shoreditch based Allpress do great coffee and simple but delicious food. A perfect mid-shop caffeine hit.

TAP – I have a real soft spot for Tap, their laid back approach and delicious coffee make this an approachable contender. You don’t need to queue for hours or eat anything, you can sit and read and just drink delicious coffee. I spent many hours in there before or after the numerous hospital appointments we have had over the last year. And the staff are always nice.

Workshop – One of the largest of the coffee shops, Workshop Clerkenwell do great coffee and good food. Their corn fritters with halloumi, poached eggs and chutney are dreamy. The other branches have great reviews too.