How to recreate our breakfast basket with Suffolk produce

If you’ve stayed at Woodfarm Barns or Barges, you’ll have been treated to one of our delicious breakfast hampers, packed with everything you need for a hearty Suffolk breakfast!

But how do you recreate one of these at home? Well, whether you want to give one to a friend to share a touch of the ‘Woodfarm lifestyle’, create a fresh one for your other half for breakfast in bed, or just want a fancy breakfast for yourself, read on to find out how to make your own Woodfarm hamper!

Ingredients for your hamper

We’ve designed our hampers to reflect the traditional English breakfast style, so we include eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bread and butter for the savoury part of the hamper. We don’t include black pudding, as although many people enjoy eating it, there are also many that don’t – it’s like the Marmite of the meat counter – and we wouldn’t want it going to waste.

Eggs

Whether you like them fried, scrambled or poached, there’s nothing more delicious than free-range, high-welfare eggs from the heart of Suffolk. An excellent local supplier is Mill Green Farm, whose eggs are laid and packaged onsite and sold at the farm shop, the Hog & Hen.

Bacon

Local craft butchers Palfrey & Hall offer complete traceability on their meat. Their Suffolk black bacon is cured using Sir Roger Porter’s ale from the renowned local brewery at Earl Soham, which they mix with molasses and black treacle. You can find their bacon and more at their shop in Debenham.

Mushrooms and tomatoes

These breakfast veggies are pretty self-explanatory, but if you really want to purchase local mushrooms and tomatoes, you can find them at many farm shops throughout the county. Or you could go one step further and grow them yourself!

Bread

What is a Suffolk breakfast without a delicious, freshly baked loaf of bread? There are dozens of high-quality bakeries in Suffolk, including the 150-year-old Palmer’s Bakery; The Cake Shop Bakery in Woodbridge, where our Twee Gebroeders barge is moored; and the Suffolk Food Hall in Ipswich. Many farm shops and delis in Suffolk stock bread from local bakeries, so it’s worth checking these out too (we have a list of some of our favourites here!).

Sweet things

Sometimes you just crave a bit of sweetness after your savoury meal. Don’t worry, we’ve got that covered. In our breakfast hamper, we include delectable cookies, fresh fruit, and jam and marmalade from fantastic local supplier Betty & Miller who produce the well-known brand Fruits of Suffolk. You can find these excellent jams and marmalades at retailers throughout the county (here’s a list of stockists).

Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options

Whenever a guest comes to stay at our Luxury, Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages and Barges, we offer the option for a vegan, vegetarian or gluten free breakfast instead of our omnivore-centric hamper. 

In these cases, we swap out unsuitable items for replacements:

• A soya or nut milk instead of cow’s milk
• A butter substitute such as coconut oil or a Vegan spread
• A ‘meat alternative’ such as Vegan sausages, or tofu
• Gluten free bread
• Vegan cookies

In the wonderful 21st century world that we live in, many local retailers stock vegan and gluten free items. 

How to present your breakfast hamper

If you’re gifting your breakfast hamper to a friend or family member, then you might take inspiration from our wicker hampers, which give a bit of a rustic feel to the breakfast experience. 

We try to arrange our hampers in a way that looks ‘pretty’, but most importantly so that nothing is crushed (make sure more delicate items such as eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms aren’t placed underneath heavier items). 

Show us your hamper!

If you try your hand at recreating our breakfast hamper, make sure to tag us on Facebook or Instagram so that we can like your photo! We’d also love it if you could experience the ‘real’ breakfast hamper at one of our Luxury, Dog-Friendly Holiday Cottages or Barges in beautiful Suffolk, so don’t hesitate to stop by our websites when you’re thinking about your next holiday!