What's for Breakfast? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Porridge

Musically, 'soft' is piano, which is abbreviated to 'p'; the 'alternative' is 'or'; a 'line of hills' is a 'ridge'; putting them together gives the answer - 'p-or-ridge' or 'porridge'.

Many different grains can be boiled in liquid to make porridge. However the World Porridge Making Championship, held annually in Carrbridge in the Scottish Highlands, requires that just oats, water and salt are used. The winner is awarded a Golden Spurtle, which is probably not so good for stirring the porridge as a traditional wooden one. Some people like to add milk, sugar, syrup or fruit to their porridge.

Answer: Fruit

Every other letter in the phrase 'iF a RoUt Is To' leads to the five letter word 'fruit', which is the answer.

The fruit can be fresh, such as half a grapefruit, or sliced banana or strawberries that could be added to cereal. Some people like a bowl of stewed apples, prunes, or other fruit. Others might like to add dried fruit such as raisins to their cereal. Another way of having fruit is as a glass of juice - what could be tastier or healthier than a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice?

Answer: Cereal

The term 'hear' indicates that the answer will sound like something else. An episodic story is a 'serial', which sounds the same as 'cereal'.

Breakfast cereals gained popularity in nineteenth century America, where they were seen as a healthier alternative to eating a lot of meat. However, despite many cereals having added vitamins, some cereals may not be as healthy as they seem - many have a lot of added sugar.

Using the same play on words that I've used in my clue, the Classic FM radio station in the UK introduced a breakfast serial to its morning programme. A listener suggests a link from a piece of music played one day to another on the following day, for example 'The Aquarium' from Saint-Saëns' 'Carnival of the Animals' could be followed by Schubert's 'Trout Quintet'.

Answer: Yogurt

The word 'finally' indicates that the last letters of the six words 'bY sO lonG, yoU cleaR iT' will lead to the six letter answer - 'yogurt', which is a dairy food.

The yogurt could be plain or fruit flavoured; either could be added to cereal or eaten straight from a pot or dish with a spoon. It is thought that the fermentation of milk to make yogurt began in Mesopotamia, around 7000 years ago. The word is sometimes spelled 'yoghurt' or 'yoghourt', but not in this clue, and comes from the Turkish word 'yoğurt'.

Answer: Eggs

The word 'first' indicates that the initial letters of the four words 'Every Girl Gets Some' will give the four-letter answer - 'eggs'.

The eggs could be cooked in many different ways - fried, poached, scrambled or boiled are the simplest, but they could be made into an omelette. When I was much younger and went to Guide camp, we used to beat up the eggs with a little milk, soak slices of bread in the mixture and then fry them - this delicacy was known to us as eggy bread.

Answer: Bacon

Not very surprisingly, the word 'hiding' indicates a hidden word; in this case 'CuBA CONsidered' contains the answer - bacon.

Bacon is cured meat from a pig; it is often fried, but it could also be grilled (which, I think, is broiled if you're in America). The bacon can be served with eggs as the two main items of a British breakfast fry up. However rashers of bacon are often placed in a roll, possibly with the addition of tomato ketchup or brown sauce. The result is known as a bacon sandwich, bacon butty or bacon sarnie depending on your location.

Answer: Sausages

The words 'turns over' indicate an anagram; re-arranging the letters in 'as a guess' gives the answer - 'sausages'.

Quite apart from the children, many adults regard a sausage (or two) as an essential part of their fry-up. Another British favourite is black pudding, which is a blood sausage, sliced and fried with everything else.

Answer: Mushrooms

The word 'over' means that there is an anagram to be found; in this case the letters in 'Mom's hours' can be re-arranged to form the answer - 'mushrooms'.

Although considered a vegetable for culinary purposes, mushrooms are actually fungi, which are spore-producing organisms such as moulds. There are many different varieties ranging from the small white button mushrooms through creminis to portobellos. Some mushrooms, such as enoki, chanterelles or morels, are very odd shapes. Like most foods, mushrooms are best eaten fresh, but, unless you know exactly what you're doing, don't be tempted to pick wild mushrooms - if you get it wrong you might end up with a lethal portion of toadstools on your plate!

Answer: Tomato

Dorothy's dog is 'Toto', from 'The Wizard of Oz'. Putting 'Ma' in the middle gives the answer - 'to-ma-to' or 'tomato'.

Although tomatoes are sometimes orange, yellow, or even black, most varieties of tomato turn red when they are ripe and ready to eat. As a breakfast food, tomatoes are usually cooked to accompany a plate of bacon and eggs. You might like to add baked beans, and hash browns or fried bread to your 'full English'.

Answer: Toast

The word 'alternately' indicates that every other letter in the words 'sToOl AsS aTe' will spell the answer - 'toast', which is bread that has been sliced and cooked again.

Unless you want to serve it under baked beans or scrambled egg, I've never understood why toast should be preferable to a thick slice cut from a fresh crusty loaf of bread, especially since the toast often arrives at the table either burnt, cold or both.

Answer: Croissant

The number '1' looks like the letter 'I' and is placed within the word 'cross'; the hardworking insect is an ant. Putting them together gives the answer 'cro-i-ss-ant', or 'croissant', which comes from France.

Although they're definitely not part of a traditional British breakfast, many British people love eating croissants, or similar items like pains-au-chocolat or pains-au-raisins first thing in the morning.

Answer: Roll

Alternate letters from the words 'RiOt LiLy' give the answer - 'roll'.

Rolls are particularly good when served warm from the oven. If you don't want to spend hours making them before breakfast, it is possible to buy packets of part-baked rolls, which finish cooking in about ten minutes.

Answer: Butter

The word 'held' indicates a hidden word, and 'returning' means that it is backwards. Inside 'caRET, TUBa' is 'rettub' or 'butter' when it is reversed. [^ is a caret.]

Most people like to spread butter on their toast or rolls before adding jam or marmalade, although some would choose a low-fat, possibly dairy-free, alternative.

In A. A. Milne's poem, 'The King's Breakfast', the king wanted some butter for the royal slice of bread. When asked by the dairymaid, the sleepy cow suggested that he might have marmalade instead. The king wasn't pleased by the idea so the cow relented and provided plenty of milk and butter for his breakfast, making the king so happy that he bounced out of bed, kissed his wife and slid down the banisters.

Answer: Marmalade

The word 'moves' indicates an anagram; 'lame drama' can be re-arranged to make 'marmalade'.

Marmalade is a preserve, usually made from oranges, although other citrus fruit can be used. The word comes from the Portuguese 'marmelada', which means 'quince jam'. Many people prefer jam, honey, marmite or chocolate spread rather than marmalade to spread on bread or toast at breakfast. However Paddington Bear (created by Michael Bond) isn't one of them - his favourite food is a marmalade sandwich.

Answer: Coffee

The symbol for cobalt is 'Co,' and for iron is 'Fe'. Using the symbol for cobalt, and then putting one symbol for iron inside another gives the answer - 'Co-F-Fe-e', or 'coffee', which is a drink, usually served hot at breakfast.

Once upon a time coffee was coffee - black or white, then there was instant coffee (which probably isn't as good, although simpler to make). Nowadays there are espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos, and probably many others, too. Many people enjoy coffee, especially first thing in the morning because the caffeine helps to wake them up - although it can be drunk at any time of day, and if you're worried about the caffeine, you can always have a decaffeinated variety. Of course you may prefer tea, milk or hot chocolate instead of coffee.