When I first started calling it “nature’s cereal,” I laughed a little. But the name stayed. Because honestly, it fits. A bowl of fresh berries, still cold from the garden or market, resting in a pool of cream. No fuss. No flame. Just color, softness, and sweetness in their purest form.

This dish is the kind of thing you don’t plan for, you stumble into it. One morning, there are berries in the fridge and cream in the back of the shelf, and suddenly you’re eating something that feels like poetry.

It doesn’t ask much of you. No oven. No blender. Just quiet. Maybe a sunbeam if you’re lucky.

The Recipe:

Nature’s Cereal, the Cottagecore Way

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries—whatever’s in season or on hand)
• ½ cup cold heavy cream or half-and-half
• A pinch of flaky sea salt
• Optional: a touch of honey or raw sugar
• Optional: dried rose petals or mint, if you want it to feel enchanted

Why I Love This

Because it reminds me that good food doesn’t always need fire. That the best flavors often come from what’s left uncomplicated. That beauty, when left alone, will still bloom.

This isn’t just a breakfast. It’s a practice in noticing. In slowing. In tasting every bite like it’s a season coming to life in your mouth.

So here’s your gentle reminder:
You can make something beautiful out of very little.
You can begin your day with softness.
You can romanticize your breakfast, even on a Monday.

And if anyone asks what you’re eating, just smile and say,
“Oh… it’s nature’s cereal.”

With love from my kitchen,

Autumn

If you love slow mornings and baking from scratch, my book The Cottagecore Cookbook is made just for you. It’s full of recipes and stories to bring a little magic into your kitchen. Find it here.