Category Archives: breakfast

Jane’s Chocolate Brownies

Children’s Church in Slindon is brilliantly done. It’s meaningful and relevant to the great range of ages that attend, and our girls are thrilled when we time our visits to Sussex with the dates that it’s on (once a month). Rosemary leads the discussion and singing and Jane does a crafty activity. Jane also bakes the most scrumptious goodies to accompany the sticking and glueing. This week it was brownies. I usually make Nigella’s from Domestic Goddess, but I shall deviate next time. These were dark, sticky and utterly chocolatey.

Grease and line an 8inch square tin.
Melt 250g unsalted butter.Sift together 50g plain flour with 50g cocoa. Chop 250g dark chocolate (Jane recommends Sainsbury’s value dark choc for this) into tiny chips. Mix the chips of choc into the flour/cocoa and add 500g caster sugar.
Beat 4 eggs with a small amount of vanilla extract.
Mix the melted butter into the dry ingredients, then beat the eggs quickly into the mixture.
Bake in a 180 degree oven for 30 minutes keeping a close eye. When the top is crackly, but it’s pretty much set when you shake the tin, it’s done.

Bircher muesli from The Times

Serves 4
4tbs rolled oats

2tbsp oat germ
100ml skimmed milk, slightly warmed
150g plain yoghurt
3tbsp honey
1tbsp orange juice
1tbsp lemon juice
1 red apple, grated
1 green apple, grated
1.5tbsp chopped toasted hazelnuts
1.5tbsp flaked toasted almomds
300g mixed fresh or defrosted berries

1. Soak the oats and oat germ in the warm milk for three hours or overnight
2. Just before serving, stir in the yoghurt, honey and lemon and orange juice
3. Stir in the apples, nuts and berries, then serve