With the rugby heading to the business end of the World Cup, you may be lining up to host friends and family for the big games.

You may have held plenty of dinners in the past, but sometimes having everyone over for breakfast can seem like a whole new challenge. We’ve put together our top tips and menu suggestions for making breakfast hosting a breeze.

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Prepare ahead

This goes for both the food and the set up. The last thing you want is to have to be out of bed before the crack of dawn to get ready.

Make sure the night before you’ve got the food prep done –ideally stick to a menu that can be almost entirely pre-prepared (keep reading to find our menu suggestions). Things like pre-cutting fruit that won’t brown, getting your pancake mix made (if not cooked) and getting things out of annoying packaging can really save you time in the morning.

Also, one of the benefits of a breakfast is you can set your table (if you’re sitting down to eat), or at least get the plates etc out and ready the night before.

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Keep it simple

Breakfast is a great occasion to go for the buffet option. While dinner parties can feel daunting, everyone is generally relaxed for breakfast, so just create one big grazing station for people to serve themselves as and when they like.

Remember, if they’re coming for the rugby chances are you’ll be eating in front of the TV. So keeping it to low-mess options your guests can eat with their hands is often a winner.

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Use the barbecue if you’re cooking on the day

We know the weather is still a little unpredictable at this time of year, but one of the issues with serving breakfast can be having enough stove space to get everything cooked at once. If the weather is playing ball then get the New Zealand bacon, pork breakfast sausages and eggs on the barbecue. You can cook a lot more at once and free up space in the kitchen for throwing together any other bits and pieces you need to prepare.

Menu Option 1 – The Classic Cooked Breakfast

For this one you’ll probably be either aiming to eat at halftime or after the game – either way, there’s probably going to be some cooking required during the game so if you’re an avid All Blacks fan, and also the one doing the cooking, this might not be the option for you. Alternatively if you’re wanting to have it ready when people arrive it’ll mean getting up a bit earlier.

This is a pretty simple menu that doesn’t really need a recipe.

Simply cook plenty of NZ bacon and pork breakfast sausages, whip up some scrambled eggs and maybe a side of baked beans. Pop them all in the middle of the table next to some delicious soft bread and buns (top tip – don’t bother with toast, it’ll just end up cold and cardboardy if you’re trying to prepare it for a crowd). Add some cheese platters, fruit platters, a selection of all your favourite condiments and you’re done. Remember you can make sure you’re buying New Zealand bacon by checking to see if the pricing label says NZPORK or 'born and raised in New Zealand' OR if it has one of our on-pack labels. Check out more on how to tell the difference here

Menu Option 2 – Breakfast Bites

Largely prepared ahead of time, this menu will take a bit of time the day before but if you’re up for it, your guests will love it. It’s all about hand sized portions that can be devoured while full attention remains on the game.  

Easy Peasy Pancakes – cook these up the day before and simply throw them back in the fry pan for a minute or so on the morning to warm up, or even just serve them cold, with hot NZ bacon piled on top; they’ll be gone in no time.

Savoury Bacon muffins – whipped up the day before, these little muffins are a great breakfast option for a crowd.

Pork, Kumara and Cashew Mini Pies – another hand sized morsel that will go down a treat for a rugby breakfast; get the filling all cooked the day before, then in the morning simply construct and throw them in the oven.

Menu Option 3 – Burritos all round

This is an option which will really be made easier by using the barbecue because you need some space if you’re wanting to get a lot ready at once. But, keeping it simple and doing plattersful of these Breakfast Burritos will make doing dishes easier at the end of the morning. Our tip is to create a bit of a production line with some of your guests to get them all assembled and ready for eating in front of the TV.

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