Hot food: DIY muesli
Everything is bespoke these days. Now you can create your own breakfast and have it delivered.
What is it?
First you go online, and choose your muesli base of rolled oats, rolled barley or puffed rice (click). Then you custom-make your own mix, adding the nuts, seeds and dried fruits you want (click, click, clickety-click), finishing with whatever takes your fancy, from ancient grains to cacao nibs (click, click). Checkout and pay, and your very own tailor-made muesli mix will be delivered to your door.
Where is it?
Online. The way yousli.com founder, Paul Findlay, puts it, "It's all about getting more 'you' in your muesli." Yousli offer five pre-made mueslis and an almost endless number of bespoke mixes packed in tall cylindrical tubes. "We've also developed a nutritional calculator with nutritionist and dietitian Arabella Forge that builds nutritional values as you add your ingredients to your muesli," he says. There's even a premium mix put together by Maha chef Shane Delia called Shameless Delight, pictured, that evokes the Middle East with its figs, pomegranate, date, rosewater and walnuts. Charmingly, they deliver by bicycle in central Melbourne.
Kris and Linda Veleski of mixmymuesli.com.au say the bespoke muesli trend is all about a healthy lifestyle. "If you can get breakfast right, you start the day in a good way," Kris says . "We have one family who order four different mixes, labelled with a photo of each member of the family."
While Sydney's pioneering Farmer Jo doesn't offer a bespoke muesli service, it does have 16 different pre-packaged mueslis on the go. "Customers have more food knowledge, awareness and access to food trends than ever before," says owner Sally Tulloch. "There's also the transparency of knowing exactly what ingredients are in your muesli."
Why do I care?
Because it's all about you, you, you. You get exactly what you want in your breakfast bowl, without having to pick out all the dried cranberries your partner loves. You even get to name your own mix for posterity. And you want the truth? It's like a fun online game for people who don't play online games.
Can I do it at home?
Yes, head for a local food co-op, wholefoods or healthfoods store for the mixings, make a big batch and store in an airtight jar.
Bespoke muesli
Mix and match ingredients according to your likes, dislikes and dietary requirements, because that's what it's all about.
500g rolled oats
100g activated almonds
100g organic sultanas or currants
50g shredded coconut, toasted
50g sunflower seeds
50g pumpkin seeds
50g goji berries
50g puffed quinoa
50g linseed or sesame seeds
1. Heat the oven to 150C. Scatter the rolled oats over an oven tray and bake for 6 to 7 minutes until lightly toasty. Cool, then mix with remaining ingredients and store in an airtight container. Serve with milk, almond milk, yoghurt, fresh fruit, etc.
Makes 1kg
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Jill Dupleix is a Good Food contributor and reviewer who writes the Know-How column.