Breakfast on the woodstove is always a special time in our home — the quiet beginning of a new day, with so much to be thankful for. And to top it all, Jeff usually makes it. He has boiling a soft-yolked egg down to a fine art.
If I have to make breakfast, I tend to keep things much simpler. I never fail to appreciate Jeff’s egg sandwiches in the morning, however, especially since we’ve been making our own sourdough bread. Add three cups of coffee and I’m perfectly content.
Lighting the woodstove
Our wood stove is the ideal place to cook breakfast in winter. We like to light the fire early when it’s cold outside, as it gently warms the entire house — so why not use it to cook breakfast too?
First, we remove the ashes from the previous day and add them to the compost, ready for next year’s tomatoes. Then we lay kindling and paper, followed by logs. Lighting a fire in a wood burner is much easier than an open fire, thanks to the steady draw.
Local bacon and eggs
Today we’re not just having boiled eggs; we’re enjoying one of our occasional special breakfasts with bacon and eggs. The bacon comes from a local farm and doesn’t contain the salt or emulsifiers found in most packaged bacon, which makes us very happy. The eggs are local too, always fresh.
It’s still dark outside as we prepare breakfast. The sky feels heavy with rain — or could it be snow? It was – 9 °C while we were tucked up in bed. Although it’s meant to warm up a little during the day, we have a quiet day planned.
Fresh coffee
I love my morning coffee — not just drinking it, but the smell of freshly ground beans. We have a lovely little shop in our local market where the coffee is weighed out and folded into a simple paper bag. It feels like a small ritual, and I cherish it.
I love these slow mornings as we ease gently into the day. No rush, no hassle. It’s a joy to be retired, and even more so in winter — a season of rest. There’s nothing to do in the garden, no food to preserve. We can simply potter about with daily chores, and nothing could be nicer. Having breakfast on the woodstove is such a lovely start to the day.