Wild Breakfasts - The Ultimate Outdoor Fuel
My favourite breakfasts are not those at the hotel buffet, or indeed a 'Full English'; rather they are ones composed of simple ingredients, accompanied by good coffee, and served with a stunning outdoor backdrop. These breakfasts, often enjoyed when wild camping and adventuring, are the ones that remain in my memory as special starts to special days.
In this post, I look at three of my favourite 'Wild Breakfasts' – with recipes, cooking guidance, and of course coffee recommendations.
(1) Soaked Muesli Porridge
Using quality muesli to make your porridge is a great cheat to provide a beautifully textured and flavoursome porridge. I use an organic muesli that contains seeds, raisins, and a mixture of different oats and grains – such as the Nairn's Organic Muesli; when soaked, the fruit and seeds swell to provide a rich flavour.When I am at home, I use milk to make my porridge; but when I am out in the wild, I often make it with just water; soaking the oats helps to create a creamy texture anyway. If you do miss the milk, then consider powdered milk for easy transportation.
Preparing soaked muesli porridge is easy:
- Before you go to bed for the evening, place a cup measure of muesli in your stove pot (I am using the GSI Outdoors Dualist Stove) and cover it with water. Put the lid on the stove pot and hang it out of reach of animals.
- In the morning, remove the lid and add another cup of water; if you are adding milk powder, do so at this moment.
- Place the stove pot on the stove and gently heat for 4-5 minutes, constantly stirring.
- Serve in a heatproof bowl (the GSI Dualist contains two purpose built outdoor cooking bowls), and dress with wild flower honey or fresh fruit.
(2) Banana Oat Pancakes
Banana Oat Pancakes have become a favourite outdoor meal for me, especially in the cold winter months when you don't need to worry about transporting the batter unrefrigerated. These simple pancakes are nutritious, gluten free, and super easy to make.Method
- Before leaving for your ride or adventure: blend 2 bananas (peeled), 2 eggs, ½ cup of rolled oats, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a blender. Pour the mixture into a water bottle and mount to a spare bottle cage on your bike.
- In the morning: heat your stove pot or pan with a little knob of butter or oil to avoid sticking.
- Pour in a small amount of the mixture and fry until golden brown on both sides of the pancake.
- Serve with honey, maple syrup, or fresh fruit.
(3) Soft Boiled Eggs with Cracked Black Pepper Soldiers
Soft boiled eggs might not seem like the obvious breakfast to make in the wild, but they are a great option; because the water your boil the eggs in doesn't have to be sterile (so could come from a stream or lake), and eggs are often available at road-side farm stalls when cycling in the countryside.Method
- Boil the eggs for your preferred softness in your stove pot (2-5 mins usually)
- I would usually have soft boiled eggs with fresh bread soldiers if I was at home, but in the wild fresh bread can be hard to come by, and hard to transport; my alternative is Nairn's Cracked Black Pepper Oat Cakes, which broken in half make great flavoursome 'soldiers' to dunk in your eggs.
You will spot a theme with all of the above breakfast ideas – they all involve warming cooked recipes, and all contain oats. This is purposeful – it is because cooked food can be processed by the body with greater ease; making it the preferred choice if you are just about to engage in some vigorous outdoor sport, and your body has limited time to get the energy to your muscles. Oats are the king of carbohydrate fuels; with a low GI and a high natural fibre content, they provide sustained energy that will keep you going for many hours.
As mentioned above, I am using the GSI Outdoor's Pinnacle Dualist Stove to prepare these warming dishes – it has become my preferred cooking set up because of its great portability, stackable design, and the neat included eating bowls and utensils.
>> See more about the GSI Dualist Stove here <<
Proper Breakfast Coffee
"But first… coffee." No breakfast is complete without a good coffee, and eating in the wild should be no exception.My favourite outdoor coffee blend comes from UK brand Rave Coffee – it has a rich and warming flavour, with hints of citrus and cinnamon. You can get a fresh blend delivered on subscription each month.
I brew my outdoor coffee using GSI Outdoor's neat Ultralight Java Dripper, which attaches to the top of their GSI Outdoors Bugaboo Camp Mug and creates a great brew with minimal kit.
If you prefer to have your coffee freshly ground, then take a look at the GSI Outdoors Java Mill Coffee Grinder; it is a compact and effective solution to grinding beans on-the-go.
Ideas duly noted
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