A GOOD breakfast can help improve concentration, alertness memory and even mood, so on a dark winter morning it's more important than ever to tuck into some hearty and healthy grub.

Breakfast is also a good opportunity to have many of your five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, not least because natural, wholesome foods are easier for your body to digest first thing in the morning.

Smoothies have dramatically increased in popularity over recent years. Packed full with vitamins, unlike fruit juices they include the peel and the skin of most fruits which is the most nutritious and fibrous part.

When it's dark and gloomy, though, it's hard to beat a bowl of hot porridge. This recipe is made to our rice recipe as an alternative to oats.

To make a Vanilla Rice Porridge with Caramelised Bananas for four, take 1 litre of milk, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 vanilla pod - split, 180g (7 oz) aborio rice, 2 bananas sliced thickly on the diagonal, 1 tbsp soft brown sugar plus extra to serve and 1 tbsp butter cut into small pieces.

Put the milk, sugar and vanilla pod in a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Add the rice and stir occasionally to prevent it sticking to the pan. Cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and leave for five minutes.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the grill to high and put the bananas into a shallow oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and dot with butter. Grill for 2-3 minutes or until golden and caramelised.

To serve, spoon the rice into bowls, top with banana and sprinkle with a little brown sugar. The sugar does add a few extra calories, but the pay-off should be that it's a breakfast that will keep you going all morning and prevent any naughty snacking.

For an easy and quick "mix and go" muesli recipe, take 400g (14oz) rolled oats, 220g (8oz) rolled barley, 75g (3oz) bran cereal, 100g (3oz) almonds chopped, 40g (2oz) sunflower seeds, 70g (2oz) pumpkin seeds, 80g (3oz) dried pear, chopped and 80g (3oz) dried strawberries.

Mix together all the ingredients and store in an airtight container. Serve with milk or fresh berries and yoghurt. Very healthy and delicious.

Raspberry and Fig Smoothie - serves 2. Take 125g (5oz) fresh raspberries, 2 ripe figs chopped, 125ml (4floz) natural yoghurt, 125ml (4fl oz) milk, 2tsp honey and a handful of ice cubes.

Put all the ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.

Banana, Strawberry and Orange Smoothie for two requires one large ripe banana, 150g (5oz) strawberries, hulled, 250ml (9 fl oz) orange juice, handful ice cubes. Repeat as before in the blender.

For Pineapple, Honeydew and Mint Smoothie for two you will need 160g (6oz) chopped fresh pineapple, 160g (6oz) chopped honeydew melon, 6 fresh mint leaves, 250ml (9 fl oz) pineapple juice, handful of ice cubes. Then whizz in the blender.

If you've never kicked off the day with Poached Nectarines with Sweet Vanilla Ricotta then now's the time to start, particularly if you have a sweet tooth. To serve four people take 4 nectarines, 1 litre cranberry juice, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 1 cinnamon stick and 2 wide strips of lemon rind. Score a small cross in the base of each nectarine. Put the nectarines in a large bowl and pour in enough boiling water to cover them. Leave for 1 minute then rinse under cold running water. Peel the skin away from the cross and cut each nectarine into quarters, removing the stones.

Put the cranberry juice, sugar, cinnamon and lemon rind in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes.

Add the nectarines, simmer gently for five minutes or until soft. Remove the nectarines from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Bring the poaching liquid back to the boil and simmer until reduced by half. Set aside to cool, then pour over the nectarines and chill until ready to serve with a spoonful of the sweet ricotta.

* Sheila Benson and Sean Millar are at The Side Door, 29a Hope Street, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 707 7888.