What do you think are the 4 most essential components to a good old British coked breakfast? We've taken a vote and the following 4 classics came out on top:

You're Bacon Me Crazy

Bacon! What else could possibly come first other than this stunning ode-to-pig? Bacon has always been a favourite, but recently it has enjoyed an even bigger boost thanks to the internet and a new wave of cured-pork appreciation. Whether in a sandwich or as part of a fry-up, bacon is the top British breakfast staple.

Eggsellent Idea

If there is no smoke without fire, there is no bacon without eggs! Our next staple just had to be the versatile little number that is the egg; whether it's fried, scrambled, poached, boiled, coddled, or made into an omelette, eggs are delicious in all their forms - and with the addition of some bread a handful of meals can be prepared.

Nothing Silly About These Sausages

This next one was slightly trickier but sausages came out as an overall winner! We all like a bit of meat in the morning, and after bacon sausages are definitely the next favourite of the breakfast meats. Again, sausages can be a welcome addition to a fried breakfast, or just as sublime wrapped in bread for a sumptuous sausage sandwich.

A Toast to Toast

Our next favourite was also tricky as beans, tomatoes and mushrooms were all mentioned, but in the end we went for toast - bread's best contribution to the first meal of the day. We went for toast because it makes a beautiful bed for all of the above, and with the inclusion of some butter, it makes a warm, hearty breakfast snack on its own - mmm.

Feeling a little blue? We don't blame you - not only is it Monday, it's the first day of September, which means that summer is pretty much over. How depressing can one day get?

Don't panic, though - here are some pictures of delicious-looking cakes that will brighten up your Blue Monday!

These cute Pink Floyd-themed cupcakes were tweeted earlier today by Floyd mega-fan Stephen Paul Smith. The Dark Side of the Moon cakes look particularly appealing!

These cupcakes are iced to look like white terriers! How cute! Credit to Sophie Pickering, who tweeted this photo yesterday.

Well, we hope that's cheered you up a bit! If you like looking at pictures of delicious food, why not follow us on Twitter? Our feed is full of photos like this!

Summer means only one thing to us Brits - disappointment associated with the weather. But when we have gotten over the dreary drizzle that plagues our summer months, we always have at least a few days of sunshine, and when we do, it's time to get the barbecue out!

Everyone has their own little routines, tricks, and methods when it comes to preparing and executing their barbecue, but we'd like to offer 7 of our little tips that will ensure yours is a roaring success.

1. Preparation is key - marinade your meats and fish the day before for optimum flavour, and prepare your salads an hour or two before to ensure you're not pushed for time.

2. Variety is the spice of life - burgers and sausages are pretty standard, so why not try some more exciting options like prawn skewers, pork chops, or lamb koftas!

3. It's not all about meat and fish - why not try barbecuing vegetables like corn on the cob? The slightly charred effect of the corn really brings out that delicious flavour.

4. Don't rush things - if you are using charcoal wait till they turn white before you place any food on the grill; only then is the grill at the optimum heat for cooking your food on.

5. Don't cook cold meats - if you are going to be cooking meat, make sure you take it out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before you place it on the barbecue. You want your meat at room temperature to ensure an even level of heat penetrates it.

6. Try not to flip out - we know it is tempting to continually flip your meat on the barbecue but try to refrain. It takes time for that desired char to develop on your food, and flipping only interrupts this.

7. Let it rest - this rule always applies when you are cooking meat and with barbecued meat it's no different. Give your meats ample time to rest after cooking to ensure the juices settle, and the meat itself is as tender as possible.

Three great meals that don't need cooking!

So your cooker has broken down, but it's fine, because you're totally on top of it. You've located the source of the problem, Googled it, and ordered a replacement part from the Cooker Spare Parts team. No sweat!

Except...what are you going to do for dinner tonight? Even if you selected 'Next Day Delivery' and completed the order before 3.30pm, your cooker will still be out of action until tomorrow. You don't want to ruin your diet with a takeaway, and you haven't got the money for a meal out, so what to do?

Well, we can help on that score as well. Here are a few alternative meal ideas for those broken cooker evenings.

(N.B. For the sake of this blog post, we're assuming that your cooker is completely busted; that is, you can't use the oven, the hobs, or the grill.)

• Salad
  If salad has only ever been a side dish for you, it's high time you upgraded it to the rank of Main Course. Start with the basics: cucumber, lettuce (or rocket if you're feeling fancy) and celery. Once you've laid the foundations, you can get creative, throwing in more or less anything you fancy. Peppers, croutons, walnuts, sesame seeds, chicken pieces, pine nuts...it's all fair game!
  
  
• Chicken Wraps
  You may not be able to cook anything yourself, but you can buy pre-cooked chicken from most supermarkets. If you're reasonably easy to satisfy, just put some chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise in a tortilla wrap and tuck in! If, however, you want to add a little more flavour, you can add cashew nuts, chopped spring onions, and even grated coconut to the mix.
  
  
• Boxing Day Buffet
  If you've got leftovers - chicken, cold cuts, salad, that sort of thing - then you've got yourself a meal, no cooker required. Just pretend it's the day after Christmas, spread all your leftovers out on the dining table, and make a buffet out of it. And if you don't have any leftovers...go out and buy some! Grab a French stick while you're there, too; nothing ties a spread together like a nice, crusty baguette.

Image Credit: Andrew Skudder

A lot of people seem to think that vegetarianism means that you can’t eat anything but lettuce. In actual fact, choosing not to eat meat is no more limiting than choosing not to eat cake – there’s still a whole world of marvellous mealtime options that you can enjoy!

To prove that point, here are three of our favourite vegetarian dishes for you to try at home. They’re all meat-free, and even inveterate meat-eaters have admitted that these meals taste amazing!

Quorn Wraps with Nando's Sauce

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2-4
Suitable for Vegans? No - Quorn contains egg.

You will need:

• Nando's Peri-Peri Marinade (the spicier the better!)
• Quorn Chicken Style Pieces
• Peppers (x2)
• Flour tortillas
• Cooking oil

Fry the Quorn pieces in a little oil.  Chop the peppers and add them to the frying pan, along with a generous helping of Nando’s marinade. Sizzle it all for a little longer, and once everything’s cooked, spoon the mixture into flour tortillas and serve as wraps.

Macaroni Cheese

Recipe taken from chefchloe.com

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Suitable for Vegans? Yes, as long as you buy vegan-friendly pasta, milk, and margarine.

You will need:

• Egg-free macaroni (1lb/450g)
• Alpro soy milk (680g/24oz)
• Broccoli florets
• Vegan margarine (55g/2oz)
• Flour (43g/1.5oz)
• Yeast (64g/2.25oz)
• Tomato purée (2tbsp)
• Sea salt (2tbsp)
• Garlic powder (1tsp)
• Lemon juice (1tbsp)

Cook the macaroni and broccoli in boiling water (bear in mind that the macaroni will take longer than the broccoli). Whisk the margarine and flour together in a saucepan on medium heat; then, add the soy milk, yeast, purée, salt, and garlic powder to the pan and boil this mixture while continuing to whisk frequently. Lower the heat and simmer so that the sauce has time to thicken. Stir in the lemon juice, and add this sauce to your macaroni and broccoli.

Rice Muck-Up

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: Depends on the amount of rice you make
Is it vegan? Yes, unless you add any non-vegan ingredients

You will need:

• Rice (preferably saffron rice)
• Curry powder
• Whatever you've got in the fridge!

Rice muck-up is a great way of using up your leftovers. Simply cook the rice, add a bit of curry powder, and throw in anything you've got handy! Try it with peas, onion, egg, herbs, peppers, Quorn, nuts, mushrooms, aubergine...anything that comes to hand. This is a good Monday night dish if you've got lots left over from the weekend.

For more veggie inspiration, check out our Vegetarian Meals board on Pinterest!