Toast

Are you a morning lark or a night owl? Or something between the two?

I’m definitely a morning lark. I think best in the morning. I wake up with a new idea, that I can’t wait to try out, or the solution to a problem, that’s being gnawing away at me. I literally jump out of bed. The family sometimes find me downstairs, with already an hour of work under my belt before they emerge.

I think I must be a nightmare.

I do rather bounce in to wake them up in the morning for school. They have requested that I sing a little bit quieter. I don’t think they even see my dance routine from under their duvets. Honestly. I am not appreciated. Who wouldn’t want a rendition of “Good Morning”, first thing? Or my version of it, at least.

If it is any consolation to the night owls among you, I am flagging by the evening. No one is allowed to ask me homework questions after supper. Fortunately my husband is a night owl, so he takes over. He jokes that he only has to show me a pillow in the evening, and I fall asleep. If only I could deny it.

One of the upsides of being a morning person is that breakfast preparation is not a chore. I love making porridge for everyone. Or toast, which is popular in our house.

We don’t have a toaster or a grill. We use the Aga instead. No need to clutter the surface with another gadget, when the Aga will do it. The children get super excited when we go on holiday and there is a toaster wherever we are staying. New fangled magic box that makes toast!

Last summer in Scotland, we hired a cottage, with a toaster in the kitchen. That wasn’t the reason we hired the cottage. It was the location mostly. Honestly, the first morning, all three children waited to see the toast pop out of the toaster. With “whoops!” when it did. Much discussion about how the toast looked different and gave a different crunch. Novelty waning as the week went on, thank goodness.

So what is different about the toast I make? To start with it has a grid mark on it.

The bread is sandwiched between two wire meshes that are shaped like table tennis bats, but larger. Hinged at one end and long handles opposite. I can fit about 3 slices in.

The bat is put on the hottest plate of the Aga, left, then turned over when ready.

There is no ping to tell you the toast has toasted, and I cannot recommend waiting until the smoke detector goes off. Been there. Done that. Got the burnt toast to prove it. After a while, you seem to develop an inner clock and know when to turn or rescue the toast.

It is also brilliant for toasted sandwiches. No need for more butter, making it less greasy.

(That’s how we make toast, Val, with grid marks. Much easier to explain with a photo. Or two.)

So, are you a morning or night person? And how do you like to start the day?

---