These filled croissants are always a winner at breakfast and are an excellent way of using up day-old croissants. However, they also freeze very well and I often keep some tucked away for those unplanned mornings when we've been out late and something substantial is in order…

SERVES 4

  • 8 rindless smoked streaky bacon rashers
  • 4 butter croissants
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 4 eggs
  • FOR THE RED PEPPER RELISH:
  • 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 roasted red pepper, finely chopped (from a jar or tin)
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • large pinch of caster sugar
  • good pinch of dried chilli flakes
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 To make the roasted red pepper relish, place the tomatoes, red pepper, spring onions, basil, vinegar, sugar and chilli flakes in a saucepan and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened. Season to taste and leave to cool.

2 Preheat the grill to medium. Arrange the bacon on a grill rack and cook for 5–6 minutes, until crisp, turning once. Slice the croissants, then open them out and place the slices of crispy bacon inside.

3 Heat a large frying pan and add the oil, swirling to coat the base evenly. Break in the eggs and cook for 2 minutes (or longer if you prefer your eggs less runny), gently spooning the excess oil over the yolks to help them cook. Using a fish slice, carefully lift the eggs and put into the croissants, then top each one with a spoonful of the roasted red pepper relish to serve.

Bircher muesli

This must be made 12 hours in advance, but it will keep for up to 2 days if kept covered with cling film in the fridge without adding the apple, which may go brown.

SERVES 4–6

  • 225g (8oz) jumbo porridge oats
  • 200ml (7fl oz) cream
  • 150ml (¼ pint) freshly pressed apple juice
  • 150ml (¼ pint) natural plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp clear honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • FOR THE GRANOLA SPRINKLES:
  • 100g (4oz) mixed seeds (such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds)
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 25g (1oz) flaked almonds

1 To make the bircher muesli, mix the oats in a large nonmetallic bowl with the cream, apple juice, yogurt, honey and vanilla extract. Cover with cling film and set aside overnight in the fridge to soak.

2 To make the granola sprinkles, preheat the grill to medium. Line a Swiss roll tin with non-stick baking paper.

3 Place the mixed seeds in a bowl and drizzle in the maple syrup, stirring continuously until evenly combined. Tip the seeds onto the lined Swiss roll tin and spread out in an even layer. Place under the grill for 8–10 minutes, until lightly golden, stirring occasionally to break up any large lumps in the mixture.
Add the flaked almonds, stirring to combine, and cook for another 5–10 minutes, until lightly golden, again stirring occasionally to prevent the edges from overcooking. Remove from the grill and leave to cool and harden. Transfer to an airtight container until needed.

4 In the morning, finish making the bircher muesli. Remove the core from the apple and then grate the apple into the softened oat mixture. It’s important to keep the mixture quite wet. To serve, divide the bircher muesli among martini glasses or similar and scatter over the granola sprinkles to serve .