Photo: sass face of flickr

A hearty, imaginative or simply a fresh and thoughtful breakfast is the main thing that makes great bed and breakfasts and cafes stand apart.

Loyal repeat custom is there to be had, especially from people with special diets and the family and friends they bring with them when they visit.

Basics

Here are some of the basics we recommend you have in stock to cover a wide variety of special diets:

for continental breakfasts - essential items are in bold

• soya milk or rice milk - these are long life and don't need to be chilled until opened, unless they are the "fresh" variety which aren't really worth the extra money and wastage. Any decent supermarket will sell these.
• vegan dairy-free margarine - you can use this in any dish in place of butter for vegans and meat-eaters alike for lower saturated fat and to include many more guests. It lasts a long time refridgerated - Pure is one of the most reliable and widely available brands, and Suma and Biona do good vegan margarines available in health food shops.
• animal-free and gluten-free cereal - such as rice pops, Frosties and corn flakes and more specialist cereals
• porridge oats - make porridge with rice milk or soya milk or even simply water and it tastes great - no one will tell the difference. Oats are not gluten free, but people with simple wheat intolerance often can have porridge, so do ask them.
• chopped fresh fruit or a fruit bowl is suitable for nearly everyone, and what's more it makes a B&B stand out. It is all too rarely available.
• soya yogurt - natural or fruit flavours
• yeast extract - veggies are particularly fond of this. Marmite is the most common form and health food shops do more brands, Meridian being one we think is particularly tasty
• peanut butter or other nut butters - the rare times these are available are very special times. Not only veggies love these for breakfast! Ask any nut-intolerant guests whether having such options in the same room at breakfast time are ok for them or not.

for cooked breakfasts

Above you can see the seriously hearty vegan breakfast offered at the Whale Tail Cafe in Lancaster. Blow your customers' minds with a generous but simple to prepare spread like this! Items for a hearty basic spread include:

• vegetable oil for frying, ideally olive or rapeseed (canola) oil for good health
• baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc
• vegan sausages, burgers and/or rashers (such as Fry's or Redwood's) - vegan sausages are suitable for all kinds of vegetarians, as well as people with dairy or egg intolerance and many religious diets such as kosher and halal - cover all bases with one product!
• fried potato slices, hash browns, McCain Potato waffles
• chunks of smoked tofu, fried

Imaginative breakfasts

We go back time and again to places who can give a lovely variety for special diets at breakfast, and here are some of the dishes we've been offered or have ourselves on holidays:

• dairy-free mushroom risotto - naturally gluten-free too!
• peanut butter and banana toasted sandwiches
• buckwheat (gluten-free) pancakes or hot polenta (gluten-free) slices with fried fruit and sesame seeds - you can make your own pancakes with buckwheat flour, or use Organ's yummy variety with soya/rice milk and an optional tablespoon of olive oil in the mix
• egg-free and dairy-free pancakes filled with spinach, tofu and tomatoes, or for the sweeter tooth with maple syrup, soya cream and fresh raspberries.
• layered fresh fruit, dairy-free muesli, soya yogurt, coulis and nuts/seeds
• scrambled herby tofu & onions (gluten-free)
• home-made bean burgers with all the trimmings
• soyachino - if you have a cappuccino make simply do it with soya milk. Just be sure not to over-heat the soya milk as it can curdle in coffee or steam that is too hot.

All of these are vegan and most are gluten-free, as well as being delicious for anyone. So don't be afraid to offer these dishes to all your guests - they will tell their friends!