Rosemary Shrager’s Yorkshire Breakfasts (Great Northern Books, £16.99)

They say we should ‘breakfast like a king’ – but would you start the day with pickled pears, dried figs or bubble and squeak?

They might not sound like obvious choices, but they all appear on the pages of Rosemary Shrager’s new recipe book devoted to the great Yorkshire Breakfast.

After spending an hour in the company of the effervescent TV chef, I realise there’s more to breakfast than the obvious choices.

“Breakfast is one of those things people are specific about,” says Rosemary, pouring a cup of tea in the penthouse suite of Bradford’s Great Victoria hotel. “A friend of mine has porridge with jam, whereas I like it with water and salt. Another friend loves a banana sandwich. We’re all opinionated about breakfast.”

The book is a love letter to the breakfast table, and to local produce. Rosemary uses ingredients from producers and suppliers including Blue Pig Company in Skipton.

Rosemary splits her recipes into categories, from healthy breakfasts, including winter stewed fruit, to indulgences like fried soft herring roe on buttery toast.

Other gems include home-made baked beans with crispy bacon and sauteed potatoes, potato scones and frittata.

So what makes a great Yorkshire breakfast? “Good black pudding,” says Rosemary. “As well as the blood, it’s also made from onion, oatmeal and suet. If cooked properly, it’s delicious.

“If you think about a full English breakfast, you can get pretty much everything free-range and organic here in Yorkshire. We’re blessed with an abundance of great producers and ingredients. I’ve tried to make the most of what we have on our doorstep.”

Rosemary’s TV shows include Rosemary – Castle Cook, Ladette To Lady and School For Cooks, featuring the cookery school she runs at Swinton Park in Masham, North Yorkshire. She’s also the resident chef on ITV’s Alan Titchmarsh Show.

As the Georgian cook on BBC2’s food history series Supersizers, and a presenter on BBC2’s Royal Upstairs Downstairs, tracing Queen Victoria’s culinary journeys, Rosemary has a keen interest in the heritage of our food.

Breakfasts have changed in the past 150 years, but staples like toast, eggs and bacon have always been around, thanks largely to Victorian kitchen queen Mrs Beeton.

“In 1861 Isabella Beeton suggested a buffet of cold meats for the first meal of the day. Collared and potted meats or fish, cold game and poultry would all find their way on to well-to-do breakfast tables,” says Rosemary. “She also suggested hot dishes such as braised fish steaks, broiled sheep’s kidneys, sausages, rashers of bacon, boiled eggs and toast, marmalade and butter.”

While we wouldn’t have such quantity these days, Rosemary says we should still make time for breakfast.

“It’s such an important way to start the day. Whether it’s a boiled egg, a bowl of muesli or a bacon sandwich, breakfast gets the brain and body working,” she says. “A cooked breakfast is fine two or three times a week. It doesn’t have to be huge.

“I’ve tried to cater for everyone’s needs, and I’ve tried to keep it simple. You don’t want things too complicated first thing in the morning.”

So what is Rosemary’s favourite breakfast? “It would have to be bacon,” she smiles.