Brunch on Saturday: Eat waffles and bacon in or visit Dirty Bones for calorific and boozy brunches

To celebrate International Bacon Day on 5 September, indulge in streaky bacon and waffles and nurse a hangover with an all American brunch menu

Brunching in...

Waffles and streaky bacon

These irresistible toasted waffles are still so popular, you would never guess we have been eating them since the tenth century. Consumed across the globe, and particularly in Belgium where there are over a dozen varieties, they come topped with a plethora of flavours. I’ve only given a few of my favourites here.

Serves 8-12

4 eggs, separated
300 ml (1/2 pint) whole milk
300 ml (1/2 pint) buttermilk
450 g (1 lb/scant 3 2/3 cups) self-raising flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
100 g (3 ½ oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for frying

Put 2 of the egg yolks into a large mixing bowl and pour in the milk and buttermilk. Whisk to combine. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk again to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to form stiff peaks and then fold them into the mixture. Pour in the butter and gently fold through. Do not over-stir as you don’t want the waffles to become tough.

Put a heavy-based griddle pan on a high heat and add 1 teaspoon of butter. As soon as this has melted, pour 2 cm (3/4 in) of the waffle batter into the pan and spread it around the pan evenly. Lower the heat and cook for about 6 minutes or until lightly golden on the bottom. Using a palette knife, flip the waffle over and cook for a further 6 minutes on the other side.

If you want to crisp it up further, cook it for a bit longer on each side. Tip the waffle out of the pan on to a large plate and repeat until you have used up all the batter.

You can break up the waffles into smaller pieces to serve. Here is a selection of my favourite toppings:

Bacon and maple syrup
Belgian chocolate and banana
Sugared pecans
Salted caramel and whipped butter (To make whipped butter, let the butter come up to room temperature, then beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 1 teaspoon of icing sugar for a little sweetness.)

Brunching out...

(Dirty Bones (Dirty Bones)

Dirty Bones serves up some of America’s favourite comfort food for brunch, from fried chicken and waffles to experimental sides of “breakfast fries”, covered in smoke tomato ketchup and topped with fried eggs. It all sounds a little excessive and over the top – but completely hangover friendly - but that’s what we expect from the US, and its become one of Kensington’s most popular brunch destinations.

The main brunch menus covers “burgers, dogs and bones” which are over indulgent and full of meat of every type and covered with sauces and cheese galore. Only one out of the six dishes is vegetarian, made uup or sauerkraut and spring onions, while four burgers range from 60oz ages steak with treacle bacon, poached egg and hollandaise to the spicy chicken burger with fried chicken and homemade house chilli sauce. The chicken and waffles is topped with a fried egg and a shot of maple syrup.

The baked eggs skillet has two free-range eggs baked in rich tomato sauce with avocado, taleggio cheese and parmesan breadcrumb (Mark Dines)

For something lighter, try the baked eggs, made with free range eggs in a rich tomato sauce with avocado and cheese or the green cheese toastie, with avocado, cheese and a fried egg. While sweet tooth’s can be satisfied with coffee and donuts or banana and toblerone-tella waffles – if you can handle the gluttony. For the serious weekend brunchers, there’s the boozy brunch flight that includes four alcoholic drinks including prosecco and the dirty mary cocktail – Dirty Bone’s own twist on a classic.