Smashed Avocado & Egg on Seeded Toast

Method

1. Get everything ready before the pan goes on: quarter the tomatoes, rinse and pat dry the spinach and squeeze the lemon juice into a small bowl.

2. Halve the avocado and twist the halves apart. Scoop the flesh into the bowl with the lemon juice using a large spoon; there is no need to wrestle the stone out with a knife.

3. Mash the avocado with a fork or a small potato masher until mostly smooth, leaving a few soft lumps if you like. Season with black pepper and only a tiny pinch of salt; the lemon does a lot of the work.

4. Warm the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat. Crack each egg into a cup first, then tip it gently into the pan. This keeps stray shell out and saves you hovering over hot oil.

5. Cook for 2 minutes, then add a tablespoon of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Steam for 2 to 3 minutes for set whites and a soft yolk, or 4 to 5 minutes until the yolk is firm all the way through.

6. While the eggs steam, toast the bread until golden. If firm crusts are hard work, trim them off now.

7. Spread the avocado thickly over the warm toast and scatter over the spinach leaves, which will wilt slightly on contact.

8. Lift an egg onto each slice with a wide spatula, add the tomatoes, a twist of pepper and the chilli or paprika if using. Cut each slice in half or into fingers and serve with a lemon wedge.

Why it suits later years

Breakfast is often the lightest meal of the day, and it is easy to start the morning on tea and a biscuit. This plate adds up to roughly 14 g of protein per serving from the egg and the bread, which helps spread protein more evenly across the day, something many dietary guides encourage as we get older.

Seeded wholegrain bread and avocado together bring around 9 g of fibre, and the avocado and olive oil contribute mostly unsaturated fats. Everything on the plate is soft enough to manage comfortably, apart from the toast itself, and that is easy to adapt.

• Easy on the teeth: choose a soft-crumb seeded loaf, toast it lightly, or remove the crusts and cut the slice into fingers.
• Kind to stiff hands: scooping and mashing need no fine knife work, and the covered-pan method means you never have to flip an egg.
• Lower in salt: most of the sodium here comes from the bread. Compare labels and pick a loaf with less salt, then lean on lemon, pepper and chilli for flavour.
• Colour on the plate: tomatoes and spinach add vitamin C, folate and freshness without extra effort.

Swaps & variations

• Egg your way: soft scrambled, poached or hard-boiled and sliced all work well. Scrambled egg is the softest option for anyone with chewing difficulties.
• Softer base: use a soft wholemeal roll, a toasted English muffin or a thick slice of rye that has been lightly toasted.
• More protein: spread a spoonful of cottage cheese under the avocado, or add a few flakes of smoked salmon (bear in mind it is quite salty).
• No fresh avocado? Frozen avocado chunks thaw in about 20 minutes on the counter and mash beautifully. A spoonful of hummus is another tasty alternative.
• Gluten-free: a seeded gluten-free loaf works, though it toasts faster, so keep an eye on it.
• Herb finish: snipped chives, dill or a few basil leaves brighten the plate without any salt.

Keeping & reheating

This toast is at its best eaten straight away, as the bread softens once the avocado sits on it. If you are cooking for one, make half the recipe and save the other avocado half for tomorrow: leave the stone in, brush the cut surface with lemon juice, press cling film right onto the flesh and keep it in the fridge for up to a day.

Hard-boiled eggs can be cooked ahead and kept in their shells in the fridge for up to a week, so a quick version of this breakfast is only the toasting away. Leftover mashed avocado darkens on top; scrape off the brown layer and the green below is perfectly good.