French toast recipe by Gillian Veal
The perfect breakfast or brunch dish is a morning sweet treat

This delicious recipe is the perfect start to the day, and goes down a treat with the whole family. The French toast can be topped with berries, or banana and toffee or chocolate sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 50ml single cream
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon and/or a pinch of nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- oil for frying
- 8 thick slices white bread (preferably stale)
- 250g blackberries
- a big knob of butter
- maple syrup
- 4 sprigs of mint to garnish and a few edible flowers if you have them
Method
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl and beat gently with the cream. Add the cinnamon and/or nutmeg, if using, and the vanilla extract.
- Heat a griddle or frying pan with a little oil over a medium heat. Put the bread slices, one at a time, into the egg mixture and let them soak for a few seconds before carefully turning to coat the other side. Only soak the bread you will be cooking immediately or it will turn to mush.
- Fry the bread in the pan, leaving each piece until the bottom is crisp and golden brown before you flip it over and brown the other side. Don't cook it too quickly.
- While the second side is cooking, add the berries to the pan with a little knob of butter and cook gently until they go jammy and the juices seep into the toast.
- Serve hot with a handful of fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup, and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and edible flowers if you have them.
Café Cooking by Gillian Veal is published in hardback by Kitchen Press in July 2024 and is available nationwide, priced at £25. Kitchen Press titles are distributed by BookSource.
Sign up for The Week's Food & Drink newsletter for recipes, reviews and recommendations.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rebekah Evans joined The Week as newsletter editor in 2023 and has written on subjects ranging from Ukraine and Afghanistan to fast fashion and "brotox". She started her career at Reach plc, where she cut her teeth on news, before pivoting into personal finance at the height of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. Social affairs is another of her passions, and she has interviewed people from across the world and from all walks of life. Rebekah completed an NCTJ with the Press Association and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Week magazine, the Press Association and local newspapers.
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fans
The Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'
The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painter
The Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
10 upcoming albums to stream during spooky season
The Week Recommends As fall arrives, check out new albums from Taylor Swift, Jeff Tweedy, the Lemonheads and more
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Spinal Tap II,’ ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘The Long Walk’
-
Don't fly by the seat of your pants. Do it the healthy way with these airborne tips.
The Week Recommends Yes to stretching. Even more yesses to hydration.
-
'The Office' spinoff, a 'Mare of Easttown' follow-up and the Guinness family royalty in September TV
the week recommends This month's new television releases include 'The Paper,' 'Task' and 'House of Guinness'
-
One great cookbook: 'Jam Bakes'
The Week Recommends A guide to pristine jam-making, plus the baked goods that love them
-
September's books tell of friendship in middle age, teachers versus fascists, and Covid psychosis
the week recommends September books include Angela Flournoy's 'The Wilderness,' Randi Weingarten's 'Why Fascists Fear Teachers' and Patricia Lockwood's 'Will There Ever Be Another You'
-
6 products and apps to help fight jet lag
The Week Recommends Don't let travel fatigue drag you down
-
8 hotels that show off the many facets of Japan
The Week Recommends Choose your own modern or traditional adventure