Sorry I haven’t posted for a long time. I was far too busy going out for breakfast!!

It’s no secret that I do love eating and treating myself to a breakfast; after all it is the most important meal of the day!

I call my collective ‘The breakfast Club’ (original) and it’s usually a band of other breakfast-loving individuals who I’m joined by. Sometimes it’s spur of the moment and other times we have to plan in advance. It’s usually on a morning where I don’t have a job, but to enjoy it thoroughly it has to be midweek and it has to be child-free; just so that we get maximum gossip and chat time while the kids are in school.

Here is a list of my favourite breakfast joints. I’ll keep adding to it because the list is long, so check back to see where I’ve been. Okay, they are mostly in North West London (which is where I live) very reluctant to venture into town and would rather go no further than 10 minutes away from home…..but watch this space….I may go breakfast trekking in other parts of London…just to surprise you.

The Parlour – 5 Regent Street, NW10 5LG. Loving this place. It used to be the Aston, then the Regent and then something else and now the Parlour. It’s a cool bar, fabulous decor; I love a bit of bizarre vintage, and this excites on all levels, aesthetically and intestinally (is that a word?) When I go there I order homemade hash browns with scrambled eggs on the side and as much gluten free bread that I can cram down my gullet. I love the ‘all-you-can-eat’ bread, and it’s very rare to be offered gluten free options in most restaurants, let alone a bar. So I love them because they have thought of this, but I also love the fact that everything is freshly prepared and the quirky menu consisting of ‘back door smoked salmon’ (yes smoked out the back door) and the ‘no-subs’ full parlour breakfast and smashed avocado on lazy soda bread has just the right amount of humour! The lunch menu is just as exciting, but it’s the breakfast that I go there for and the fact that it’s always quiet and calm….just enough time to get back to work and squeeze in another slice of gluten free bread!

Daylesford Organic 208-212 Westbourne Grove W11 2RH. Umm Daylesford. Love to eat here. It’s a decadent treat; you sense that from the moment you walk in. And when I say ‘decadent’ I’m not talking five star service and dressing up in shirt and tie kind of decadence….I’m talking about the pure joy of the fabulous shop as you enter with it’s organic produce on display and the little nuggets of gorgeous things to buy that are way beyond your price range, but you buy them anyway (did I really spend £5.50 on a small jar of organic strawberry jam) This is luxury on a very holistic scale! The cafe opens for breakfast at 8am, a decent breakfast hour (as opposed to The Parlour which doesn’t open until 10am) On the breakfast menu is homemade toasted granola with cold pressed almond milk or a full Daylesford English breakfast with all the trimmings. I always opt for scrambled eggs and streaky bacon….in my humble opinion the best breakfast combination there is. There aren’t too many gluten free choices (bread in particular) but that’s okay…..it’s the general ambience and airiness that I get attracted to when I eat here. Tables are somewhat cramped together though and the lack of space adds to the general vibe of hustle and bustle. But as it’s grown popular the lack of tables is obvious. I do love that you can buy what you’ve just eaten and I also love that it’s right opposite ‘Aesop’ which is where I buy my favourite hand balm! Oh the decadence of Westbourne Grove….how I love you x

The Electric Portobello Road W11. I like eating here for breakfast because of three things, it’s good, it’s fast and it’s cheap! Especially if I’m eating here with my friend who has an exclusive Diner Card which gives her 50% off food if you eat before midday! Love that! I always order the same thing; full breakfast with gorgeous maple bacon and homemade hash browns and a small pot of baked beans on the side and washed down with either a green juice or a decaf flat white. Simple and easy going in here and the staff are always attentive .

Jacks 101 Salusbury Road NW6 6NH. I always wanted to eat here. Kept seeing it’s black and white chequered decor and somehow never got around to eating there until last week. As you step into Jacks, you step into a greasy, chip pan smelling world of bustle and confusion. The floor staff have no idea what’s going on. We waited ages to get asked what we wanted and there didn’t seem to be any urgency in sending our order to the kitchen either. Ordered my usual tea, which is bottomless, I love that!! And then went off piste and ordered omelette with ham and cheese (again the same amount of rubbyness on the omelette) My omelette (which took ages to arrive) was flat and pancake like and lacking in any moistness or fluffyness. The ham and cheese was hardly detectable and the hash browns which I ordered on the side were….well…..cooked from frozen!!!! WTF. This is supposed to be a good decent cafe. My formed and well pressed hash browns did not please me I want to go back to the Parlour for some home style hash browns that have been lovingly made by chef’s hands, not bunged in the fryer straight out of the freezer. And this is another sticking point, the whole place really does smell of frying and greasiness. My friend said we would walk out of there smelling like we’d danced with a chip fat fryer….and we did. Whoever Jack is…he should hit the road!

Gracelands 118 College Road NW10 5HD. It’s my ‘go-to’ place when I am meeting up with mum’s after school drop off at the last minute and it’s somewhere to go and have tea, but not necessarily go for a breakfast treat. I love the atmosphere in here and when I’m in the right mood it’s a great place for seeing ‘everyone’ in the neighbourhood. If you’re having a heart to heart or a quiet tete a tete then this isn’t the place for me just because I know too many people who come here; which is fabulous some days and sometimes just annoying! The breakfast is okay, the tea and coffee is okay (hard to get tea wrong) but all my coffee drinker friends prefer to go to L’Angolo next door for a proper Italian coffee. The thing that I do love about Gracelands is the fact that it’s there. I know that’s vague but when it comes down to it, that’s all that I can say. I love the people there, I love the atmosphere and friends that I see. The menu always has different specials on it and in my opinion it needs to step up a gear and maybe it needs to be quirkier like the Parlour to turn it from okay into fabulous. Anyway for a tea and a chat….it’s perfect….and local.