Oh how life has changed, our weekends no longer revolve around Saturday night, instead Sunday mornings are the new black and we are all about breakfast chez Belfast Mummy.

Breakfast is the prefect way to eat out with toddlers, it’s quick, generally the type of food that even the fussiest of tiny eaters love and, as most people are enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning lie in, there tends to be a high ratio of small children.

Small and smaller have swimming lessons on Sunday mornings during term time and I’ve learnt from experience it really isn’t worth having even the teeniest hangover when back to back swimming lessons, in a school pool with an air temperature of 30C, start at 9:30am.

If it’s a swimming Sunday our breakfast of choice is from The Bay Tree in Holywood, not only is it inviting and friendly  space with lovely staff and fabulous food it serves the best cinnamon scone in the UK (as voted by BMW Good Food Ride), they must be tasted to be believed, outrageously good.

A cinnamon scone is small girl’s most favourite treat and there isn’t much she won’t do for one, a handy incentive when she would prefer to spend her swimming lesson climbing out of the pool and jumping back in.

The most anticipated cinnamon scone

So every Sunday morning in term time we can be found at The Bay Tree, I always looks particularly fetching post swim with no make up, wet hair and generally sporting a rather special leisure outfit.

It’s normally very busy but we can usually grab a seat and a high chair without too much difficulty, although it is easier to negotiate without a pram.

Ordering is down to a fine art as small and smaller are generally tired and hungry post swimming which is not a good combination. As soon as our bottoms hit the seats we order a cinnamon scone to be served right away to placate the toddlers while Mr Belfast Mummy and I generally enjoy the fantastic breakfast stack (soda bread with egg, sausage, bacon, mushrooms and tomato). The porridge is also fantastic and the smoked salmon with scrambled egg is another favourite.

Mummm yummy soda bread

The servings are very generous so we generally ask for an extra sausage (Mr Belfast Mummy is never up for sharing his sausages) and share ours with small and smaller,  there may or may not be demands for another cinnamon scone.

The Bay Tree is also brilliant for a mid morning coffee and tray bake (or cinnamon scone) and it is also fantastic for lunch where you can choose from a selection of lighter lunches sich as salads or baked potatoes, soups and savoury tarts or indulge in a list of inventive specials.

The cinnamon scone ice cream is a must try pudding, I have frozen cinnamon scones in the freezer so I can attempt to recreate this at home, I am planning on adapting a brown bread ice cream recipe but I have been holding off as if it’s successful it could become a dangerous new addiction.