I have never been a fan of early morning airport starts (well, who is?), but as I coaxed myself out of bed at an unreasonable hour this very chilly a.m., there were two things that helped:

1. some honest-to-goodness porridge, breakfast of champions – I have Flahavan’s to thank for what seems to be a never-ending supply of same

Flahavan's multi-seed porridge

Flahavan's latest: their multi-seed porridge with pumpkin and hemp seeds, among others

2. a destination promising significantly more than porridge – with the reward for my early rise being a visit to Wales and a place at the table for their True Taste national food awards

wales true taste

Naturally, I will report back in due course – I don’t doubt but that it will turn out to be one of those things that was well worth getting out of bed for.