About Time You Met: Nutmegs, SevenBy Angelica Malin
The third in our series of interviews with London’s Breakfast Influencers as part of Lizi’s Breakfast Week, where we get behind-the-scenes with the people sharing their creations with social media, and setting the trends for our breakfast recipes. Elly is the face behind Nutmegs, seven.
After only eating cheese sandwiches from a young age, working in a restaurant opened her up to new foods that she’d never tried before, and started experimenting with recipes. Nutmegs, seven is a much acclaimed blog – in April 2015, she was shortlisted in the Online Food Writer category at the Fortnum & Mason food and drink writing awards. Here we meet the woman behind it all:
What inspired you to start your blog?
I realised five years ago that I have an awful lot to say about food, and that I wanted somewhere to record all of my food-related thoughts, ideas and stories, and to share the excitement that comes with creating a fantastic new recipe. I love being part of a community of people who all feel the same.
Why do you love breakfast?
It’s my main reason to wake up in the morning. Preparing it is a very therapeutic, relaxing activity for me, and I love how versatile it can be. For me, it’s a chance to make the most of seasonal fruit – my breakfast always contains fruit in some shape or form. Sitting down with breakfast, a pot of tea and the paper in my sunny kitchen is my favourite daily ritual – even better if it’s warm enough to sit outside in the garden.
When I travel, the first thing I like to have for breakfast is..
I love travelling to tropical countries, where they make luscious smoothies with coconut milk and seasonal fruit for a fraction of the price you’d pay here. My favourite is mango and passionfruit – I lived off these when I was in Vietnam.
What’s your ultimate go-to breakfast dish if you’re cooking? Special summer breakfast?
I make a LOT of breakfast crumbles – seasonal fruit baked under a topping of jumbo oats, maple syrup, nuts and a little olive oil, flavoured with lots of spices. My absolute favourite for summer is a pear, gooseberry and almond version. It’s a sneaky way of eating crumble on a daily basis, but it’s healthy!
Where do you like going for breakfast in London?
I have to admit that when I’m in London, I tend to skip breakfast to make more room for lunch, which will probably be some kind of Vietnamese feast in Shoreditch or a trip to Dishoom, or maybe afternoon tea with scones in Richmond Park. I love going for brunch in York (where I live), but have yet to sample the capital’s offerings…
What’s the best breakfast you’ve had abroad?
I really love the typical Costa Rican breakfast, and the first one I had, in San Jose on my first day in the country, was amazing: fresh tortillas, fried plantain, rice and black beans, tomato salsa, fresh cheese and sometimes avocado or meat – delicious and so satisfying. I also love Thai sweet coconut sticky rice with mango, which I ate all the time for breakfast in Chiang Mai
London’s best bakery is: I really like Gail’s. Last time I went there I skipped lunch and had three cakes instead; they all looked too good.
Brunch cocktails, yes or no?
Not for me, personally, as I’m the biggest lightweight known to man. But if you can handle that sort of thing, why not?
Post in association with Lizi’s Granola – like them on Facebook here and follow them on Twitter here. For more information, see Nutmegs, seven website here. Follow Elly on Twitter here. Photo credits: Nutmegs, seven.
