Every week, only in LIFE

There’s nothing quite like a lazy weekend morning, and Rachel Allen has some delicious, nutritious, easy recipes to enhance yours. Photography by Tony Gavin

Ilove having the time to spend on brunch at the weekend. My idea of Sunday-morning bliss is whiling away a couple of hours slowly eating something delicious, while sipping on smoothies and freshly brewed coffee, with a stack of the weekend papers to hand. We all know that eggs are the breakfast of champions. Be they boiled, baked, scrambled or fried, eggs are the best thing for keeping you going all day, whether you’re recovering from a workout or a hangover. This delicious frittata-style smoked mackerel, tomato and basil omelette, above right, is not only great for the body, but for the brain too.

Smoothies are much more art than science. Of course the strawberry and nectarine combo, right, is a classic, but raspberries or blueberries will work well in here too, as will banana and mango. A scattering of nuts or chia seeds into the mix before liquidising will only add to the goodness, as will lots of fresh mint.

Pancakes are one of my favourite indulgent breakfasts. Light and fluffy from the baking powder and buttermilk, these blueberry pancakes, far right, have a refreshing zing from the lemon zest.

If you want to be prepared, you can make the mixture in advance, then keep it overnight in the fridge. That way, there’s almost no work to be done for breakfast, only cooking, eating, and reading the papers.

SMOKED MACKEREL, TOMATO, AND BASIL OMELETTE (Pictured) Serves 4-5. You will need:

8 large eggs 3 tablespoons torn or sliced basil leaves Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 25g (1oz) finely grated hard cheese (try mature Coolea, Parmesan or grana padano) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into roughly 2cm (1in) cubes 3 small fillets of smoked mackerel, skinned and broken into chunks 25g (1oz) butter You’ll need a 23cm (9in) ovenproof frying pan.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then add the torn or sliced basil leaves, whichever you’re using, a few pinches of sea salt, some freshly ground black pepper and the grated hard cheese.

Put the olive oil in a frying pan, on a medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the cubed tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 2-3 minutes, until the tomatoes are almost softened, then tip them into the seasoned eggs, basil and hard cheese mixture in the bowl, and also add the smoked mackerel chunks.

If you’d prefer to make individual omelettes, see my Tip, below right.

To make one large omelette, wipe the pan clean, put it back on the heat, and add in the butter. When the butter starts to really bubble and foam, tip in the omelette mixture. Turn the heat down as low as it will go. Leave the eggs to cook gently for 12 minutes, or until the underneath of the omelette is set. The top should still be slightly runny.

Preheat a grill, or if you don’t have a grill, preheat the oven to as hot as it will go. Place the pan under the grill, or in the hot oven for a couple of minutes until the omelette is set in the centre .

Slide a palette knife under the omelette to free it from the pan. Slide the omelette onto a warm plate, and serve it cut in wedges while it is warm, or at room temperature.

STRAWBERRY AND NECTARINE SMOOTHIE Serves 4-6. You will need:

225g (8oz) hulled strawberries 2 nectarines or peaches, stone removed, and cut into chunks 100ml (3½fl oz) freshly squeezed orange juice 150ml (5fl oz) natural yoghurt A few ice cubes 1 tablespoon honey Put the hulled strawberries, the nectarines or peaches, whichever you’re using, the freshly squeezed orange juice and the natural yoghurt in a blender with the ice cubes and whizz until the mixture is completely smooth. Add a little honey to taste and whizz again. Pour the smoothies into glasses to serve.

MINT AND LIME FRUIT SALAD Serves 4-6. You will need:

1 mango, peeled and diced 1 peach or nectarine, cut into slices 1 passion fruit, cut in half and seeds scooped out 1 banana, cut into slices at an angle 1 kiwi, peeled and cut into slices Juice of 2 limes 1-2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint Natural yoghurt, to serve (optional) Put the diced mango, the sliced peach or nectarine, whichever you’re using, the

passion fruit seeds, the banana slices and the kiwi slices into a bowl. In another bowl, mix the lime juice with the honey and the chopped fresh mint, and pour this mixture over the fruit, tossing carefully. Serve this fruit salad on its own or with natural yoghurt.

BLUEBERRY AND LEMON PANCAKES Serves 4. You will need:

150g (5oz) plain flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon bread soda 25g (1oz) caster sugar, honey or light agave syrup 2 eggs 150ml (5fl oz) buttermilk 25g (1 oz) butter, melted and slightly cooled The finely grated zest of ½ lemon 100g (3½ oz) fresh or frozen (defrosted) blueberries A knob of butter and sunflower oil, for frying A little butter, to serve Maple syrup, to serve Sift the plain flour, the baking powder and the bread soda into a large bowl, then stir in the caster sugar, the honey or the light agave syrup, whichever you’re using. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, the buttermilk, the cooled melted butter and the finely grated lemon zest, then pour this mixture into the large bowl, whisking all the time to combine all the ingredients, until you have a smooth batter. The batter is now ready to use, or it may be stored in the fridge overnight.

When you are ready to cook the pancakes, fold the fresh or defrosted blueberries, whichever you are using, into the batter. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat and add to it a knob of butter and a small drizzle of sunflower oil. Working in batches, drop large spoonfuls of the pancake batter into the pan, spacing them apart to allow for spreading while they cook. Cook the pancakes on one side for 1–2 minutes until bubbles appear on the upper surface, then flip them over with a fish slice or palette knife, and cook them on the other side for a further 1–2 minutes until they are golden brown on both sides.

Repeat with any remaining mixture, keeping any cooked pancakes warm in a low oven as you go, or serve them as soon as they’re off the pan, spread with a little butter and drizzled with maple syrup.