Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet 92% of Brits wake up to toast or cereal every day. TV Chef Gizzi Erskine hopes to change this launching the Museum of Breakfast with dairy champions Arla UK

In a bid to shake us out of our breakfast rut, Arla – the farmer owned dairy company – has opened the world’s first Museum of Breakfast. The museum charts the evolution of breakfast over the past 600 years (until the early 18th century, Scots started their day with a dram of whisky and a glass of ale – not bad, I say! – while English Royalty feasted on wine and chicken).

The edible adventure, which runs at the Good House Keeping Institute from 15-16 July 2016, hopes to encourage people to upgrade their breakfast with nutritious recipes created by Gizzi Erskine that are perfectly tailored to our hectic lifestyles. 

Following research showing that people only have six minutes in the morning to eat breakfast, the Museum has launched as part of Arla’s #ChooseGoodness campaign which aims to show everyone how easy it is to create delicious, healthy, energising breakfasts quickly.

Gizzi Erskine’s adventurous modern menu shows us that a nutritionally-rounded breakfast doesn’t need to take long to prepare

‘Currently Brits aren’t getting enough nourishment from their breakfast,’ says Lise Larsen, nutrition specialist from Arla, ‘and we all know how important a good breakfast is! We time-poor Brits are left feeling uninspired by our breakfast choices, so today we have launched a temptation for the taste buds to help the UK upgrade their mornings.

‘Gizzi Erskine’s adventurous modern menu shows us that a nutritionally-rounded breakfast doesn’t need to take long to prepare. Breakfast has transformed through the ages…. it’s time for another breakfast revolution!’

 

Food historian Ivan Day who helped curate the museum explained a little more about the exhibit: ‘Breakfast is celebrated worldwide as Britain’s most important culinary contribution, however our first meal has changed radically over the centuries. Tudor breakfasters kicked off their morning with beer, bread and beef, and at the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie breakfast was just as likely to have been washed down with a dram of whisky, rather than a cup of tea.’

‘Wealthy Victorians enjoyed perhaps the most lavish breakfasts in the history of the meal,’ he continues. ‘Their tables were frequently laden with a bewildering medley of brawn, bloaters, game pies, ham, sheeps’ tongues and a host of other delicacies. Despite this long history of dramatic change, milk and butter have always been present on the British breakfast table.’

I actually CANNOT function unless I’ve had a decent breakfast

Breakfast-lovers can sample the delights of the somewhat questionable historic recipes at the museum’s series of fun and taste-bud-tingling exhibits, where they’ll be treated to an exclusive tour followed by one of Gizzi’s seven delicious dairy-filled, protein-packed breakfasts. Dishes include a rich and lightly spiced shakshuka inspired by the Middle East packed with omega oils and a sunny overnight bircher museli overflowing with fruits and nuts.

‘I actually CANNOT function unless I’ve had a decent breakfast,’ says Gizzi Erskine. ‘You really don’t need to rule anything out to be healthy in the morning – there’s a lot of misinformation out there suggesting that dairy is bad for you, but dairy intolerance is very rare and eating dairy has always been part of eating a nutritionally balanced diet because it’s a good source of protein that keeps you fuller for longer. I have collaborated with Arla to come up with seven really simple but delicious recipes for each day of the week that will give you some inspiration to get you up and running in the morning.’

All Seven Great Days breakfast dishes are tailored to the busy lifestyle, can be prepared the night before or quickly in the morning in as little as two minutes, and can be enjoyed anywhere – be it at home, at work or on the go.

Arla’s Museum of Breakfast is located at the Good House Keeping Institute, 21-25 St Anne’s Court, Soho W1F 0BJ. Booked places are now sold out but drop-ins are welcome. To find out more about the Museum of Breakfast and to watch all of Gizzi Erskine’s seven great days of breakfast see arlafoods.co.uk/choose-goodness