Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – that’s what the experts say. Here at BIRD HQ, we heartily agree: whether it’s the ubiquitous avocado on toast (instagrammed before eating, of course) or a towering stack of pancakes, there are very few ills that can’t be cured with a fantastic breakfast. In the name of National Breakfast Week, we’ve curated a list of our favourite breakfasts from around the world, so next time you’re scouring your cupboards for some lustworthy brunch inspiration, you know where to go…

1. Hoppers in Sri Lanka

The love child of a crumpet and a pancake, hoppers are a curious one. Made of fermented rice and filled with a golden-yolked egg, these lacy-textured breakfast bowls are utterly delicious. The bowl shape makes them the ideal vessel for all manner of breakfast curries and trimmings (such as Seeni Sambol and Coconut Chutney) and we think the best ones are made at Tri: hot and crisp, served up with a side of sensational lake views.

2. Churros in Madrid

Bending the rules slightly, Madrid’s churros are more of a late night snack than an early risers’ breakfast. However, in a city where nights out blur into early mornings, we think any meal eaten in coffee shops as the sun rises overhead counts as breakfast. Besides, we’re talking about churros: those deliciously decadent slivers of crisp, sugar-dusted pastry, dunked into thick, dark pots of hot chocolate. Chocolateria San Ginés, hidden down a pretty side street off Madrid’s bustling Puerta del Sol, has been serving up this decadent treat since 1894 and is the perfect pit stop for an early morning snack. Forget breakfast: we would eat this for every meal if our arteries let us.

3. Superfoods in the Cloud Forest

As a respite from the indulgence in Madrid, there’s nowhere better than the Andean cloud forest to restore balance to our bodies. Home to some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet, the Ecuadorean cloud forest is bursting at the seams with exotic plants, fruits and superfoods. Mashpi Lodge, an architectural gem nestled in the lush greenery of the forest, serves up some delicious exotic fruit and superfood smoothies at breakfast – think tree tomatoes, snake fruit and sweet mini-bananas plucked fresh from the forest every morning, whizzed up with tropical papaya, passion fruit, pineapple and figs. These goodness-packed super-drinks are tailor-made to give you your glow back.

4. Muesli in Switzerland

Alpine resorts are not necessarily known for their health foods: raclette cheese, molten and bubbling under the grill, scraped onto chunks of fresh bread and meat – sure; but delicious and nutritious breakfast options? Not so much. That is, of course, until you consider that most Swiss of breakfasts: muesli. The muesli served up at Le Grand Bellevue does not cater to the sawdust-flavoured Alpen of your childhood; the creamy homemade bircher muesli is made to a traditional recipe, crammed with yoghurt, honey and milk from local farms, topped with delicious fresh Swiss fruit  (and enjoyed with that Alpine view…). The perfect fuel for a day of skiing – and a great antidote for last night’s raclette overdose…

5. Raw fish and green tea in Tokyo

Okay – this one’s a little bit of a wild card for hardcore breakfast enthusiasts only: no avocado, oozing yolks or toasted sourdough in sight. If you’re up for something a little quirky – yet undeniably delicious – this is an unforgettable experience. Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market is at its busiest and buzziest in the early hours: packed with restaurateurs and chefs vying for the very best of the day’s catch. If the jet lag wakes you up early, there’s no better option than to wander down to the fish market, pull up a stool at one of the many cafes and enjoy the freshest cuts of raw fish you’ve ever tasted alongside a hot mug of fresh green tea. Trust us on this one.