Breaking the rules with brunch

Brunch is quite a unique meal when you think about it. There aren’t many other meals that are quite so flexible, so laid-back and so open to interpretation as a brunch. Probably one of the most popular hybrid words in the culinary dictionary (although banoffee, Frappuccino, spork and cruffin aren’t far behind), this portmanteau does what it says on the tin – a combined meal of breakfast and lunch – and yet so much more besides. It’s relaxed yet indulgent, filling yet light, savoury yet sweet, and social yet intimate, all at the same time.

Although often associated with quite a modern, cosmopolitan lifestyle, brunch is not actually a new idea. Dating back to 1895, a British writer by the name of Guy Beringer published an article in Hunter’s Weekly called ‘Brunch: A Plea’, and it seems the plea stemmed from the all-too-familiar hangover of the ‘Saturday-night carousers’. He suggested that perhaps a lighter meal served on Sundays around noon would be preferable to the traditional early Sunday dinner – ‘a post-church ordeal of heavy meats and savoury pies’. Diving into a hearty game pie on a hangover? Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea...

Despite the 120-year gap between this original article and today, the sentiment is one many will recognise. Brunch is synonymous with the weekend, something to do on a Saturday or Sunday morning when you want/need a bit of a lie-in, when a bowl of cereal just isn’t going to satisfy your hunger, and yet you can’t face the thought of ploughing straight into a Sunday roast. The flexibility of the brunch means that it can be at any time (as early or as late as the late-night carousing allows) and be savoury or sweet, depending on your mood.

Kill or cure, a ‘hair of the dog’ is also a traditional part of the brunch set up, with Bloody Mary’s being the traditional drink of choice, although Champagne and sparkling wines, or even cocktails are popular choices. The tomato-based Mary definitely isn’t for everyone, but the savoury kick can definitely act as a wake-me-up, while something fruit-based might be a more gentle ease into the morning.