PHOODIE TALKS TO… THE FABULOUS BILL GRANGER! 0

June 26, 2014

For as long as I can remember I have had recurring dreams about Bill Granger’s (Iconic Australian breakfast dish of) Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter and Banana.

If you do NOT know what I am talking about and even more tragically, if you have never eaten them, WALK, no RUN, as fast as you can to wherever you need to go to try some NOW.

Life changing.

I was lucky enough recently to have a little interview with the man behind the Ricotta Hotcakes himself, Mr BG. We talked breakfast, Jordans ‘Eat Real Day’ and of course, honeycomb butter. Check it out below!

Tell us a bit about “Eat Real Day” and why you wanted to be involved with it.

I love the concept of Jordans Eat Real Day because it is all about getting back to basics. We want to dedicate this day to eating the best, freshest wholefoods as they are so much more nutritious, not to mention better tasting than those that are overly processed. I wanted to be involved in it because I believe in Jordans philosophy of wholefoods. Jordans founder, Bill Jordan is a friend of mine, and he found that when you don’t overly process your food, it tastes so much better!

When writing recipes and coming up with concepts for new dishes what are your main considerations and inspirations?

I mainly look to make sure that I’m using only the best, freshest less processed ingredient possible. Of course, you can’t avoid it in a lot of cases, but it’s definitely a focus of mine. I love anything seasonal and anything that makes you feel good. Food is all about bonding and bringing people together. Of course, it has to be simply, because if I write a recipe that is so difficult that no one can cook it, there is no point in writing it. Travel is also always a great inspiration. I have 11 restaurants all over the world and I’m constantly finding inspiration from different cultures,

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

YES! Which is so concerning because it is the meal most often skipped. You never think about skipping dinner! In the morning, you’re groggy and breakfast isn’t the usually the first thing you think about. It’s so important because it really is what fuels your day. Fill your breakfast with fibre, protein and lots of wholegrains. This is why I’m so passionate about the Jordans Eat Real Campaign – it brings us all back to a wholesome, nutritious breakfast.

What are your favourite hot and cold breakfasts?

For a cold breakfast, you can’t go wrong with a little yoghurt, whole grain cereal and some fresh berries. So easy, simple and great for you. For a hot breakfast, as much as I love scrambled eggs I have made a lot in my life, so at home I tend to make a lot of fried eggs with dried chilli flakes, salt and pepper served on a bed of rocked dressed with some sherry vinegar.

Any tips for getting our kids to eat more wholefoods and wholegrains?

Start early! Don’t be discouraged if they don’t like it at first. Kids won’t willingly eat anything that is good for them, I find, but I’ve notice with my eldest daughter and her friends at 14, it suddenly is the “cool” thing to eat healthy. But my 10 year-old still gets embarrassed when I pack her a quinoa salad. If you start feeding your kids wholefoods early, they develop a pallet for it and will carry it into their adult life.

Thanks so much Bill! p.s. I regularly dream about your ricotta hotcakes with banana and honeycomb butter, just thought I should tell you that!

So lovely! Those ricotta hotcakes count for 50% for all of our sales in Japan! It’s great to hear that you enjoy them so much.

Hotcakes images from: SWEET AND SOUR FORK