| Breakfast is the main meal we associate with a | | | | and, these days, not many people are used to |
| bed and breakfast establishment, which sounds | | | | eating a cooked breakfast at home on a regular |
| pretty straightforward, but these days you need | | | | basis. It is important, therefore, to offer other |
| to be catering for the myriad fad diets, food | | | | breakfast staples such as cereals with a choice of |
| intolerance and differing tastes of the breakfasting | | | | milk, full fat, semi-skimmed and skimmed. Put that |
| public. Long gone are the days when the only | | | | together with a variety of flavoured and plain |
| choices for breakfast were soggy cornflakes | | | | yoghurts, bread or toast (offer a choice of |
| swimming in full fat milk and a couple of rounds of | | | | wholemeal or white) and the usual jams, |
| white toast with marmalade, or a greasy bacon | | | | marmalade and honey, and this range of food will |
| rasher with a fried egg or two. Tea, instant | | | | probably cater for the majority of guests from |
| coffee or long-life orange juice used to be the | | | | the UK. As far as drinks are concerned, your |
| only drinks guests were expected to choose | | | | guests will expect fresh filter coffee and herbal, |
| from. Nowadays, guests have more sophisticated | | | | Earl Grey and fruit teas as well as normal tea. |
| tastes and are far more discerning when it comes | | | | Fresh fruit juices, such as apple, orange or |
| to their food and drink. In fact, many guests, | | | | grapefruit are always popular. |
| when researching bed and breakfast | | | | If your bed and breakfast is in an area likely to |
| accommodation, will put the choice and quality of | | | | have foreign customers, then it is a good idea to |
| the breakfast very close to the top of their list. | | | | provide the option of a continental breakfast. This |
| What you offer for breakfast will, to some | | | | will give you quite a few choices that will cater for |
| extent, depend on the size of your bed and | | | | special food diets too. Continental breakfasts |
| breakfast, your target market and your location. | | | | normally consist of a selection of rolls and breads, |
| Any guest house worth its salt, whether a | | | | perhaps croissants or Danish pastries. Add to this |
| Leicester bed and breakfast or a rural farmhouse | | | | yoghurts and fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs or |
| in the Yorkshire Dales, will be catering for the | | | | cheese and cold meats too. This is a simple meal |
| traditional full English breakfast, of course, but an | | | | to prepare, as there is no cooking involved. All the |
| establishment which relies solely on that and has | | | | food is put out on a large table and guests simply |
| no other choice to offer customers will not last | | | | help themselves. |
| long in the hospitality business. You may find it | | | | One thing that might be worth considering in |
| helpful to ask customers when they book if they | | | | today's environment is to offer organic or locally |
| have any special dietary requirements (for | | | | sourced food, such as local honey or cream. For |
| example they may be vegetarian or vegan or | | | | example, a Lincoln guest house could serve up |
| gluten intolerant) and then you can make sure | | | | organic Lincolnshire sausages and a Leicester bed |
| that you can get the relevant food in to cater for | | | | and breakfast could offer Red Leicester cheese. |
| them in advance and avoid wastage of food that | | | | With the emphasis on the environment and |
| they do not eat. | | | | healthy eating, this could well pay dividends with |
| Not everyone can stomach a full English breakfast | | | | discerning guests. |