You might as well start as you mean to go on.

In many Cork households, Christmas morning breakfast is almost as important as dinner on December 25th.

In any case, whether you’re up at 5am for a Santa surprise with the kids or ambling down the stairs at noon after a festive sleep-in, the first meal of the day should be a special one.

Here are three delicious options to enjoy in your jim-jams in front of It’s A Wonderful Life:

1. Frank Hederman’s Smoked Salmon 

Trust us; you haven’t had smoked salmon until you’ve tried Frank Hederman’s famous small-batch smoked salmon. Frank has spent more than 38 years refining the rare traditional skill of hang–smoking in an authentic timber smokehouse.

Widely recognised as the very best in the profession, Hederman’s export worldwide, but here in Cork, you can swing by Stall 51 at the English Market (just inside the Oliver Plunkett Street entrance) and fill a bag with beech smoked or hot smoked varieties for Christmas morning, as well as smoked fish pates, salads, fishcakes and other goodies for New Year’s Eve.

TIP: Hederman’s recommend slicing your smoked salmon into delicate slivers while it’s still cold from the fridge, then serving at room temperature. If you’re after something extra special to serve as a starter or a main course over the holidays (beetroot and sloe gin marinade, anyone?), check out their recipes here.

2. O’Flynn’s Red Earl Irish Whiskey Spiced Apple Sausages 

What’s this… a new variety of sausage, you say? Cork’s favourite sausage slingers have just unveiled a brand new collaboration with a local whiskey brand… just in time for Christmas.

O’Flynn’s Red Earl Irish Whiskey Spiced Apple Sausages are available on the English Market counter now

“We know Declan and his crew and are big fans, so we just suggested a collaboration for some fun and they were well up for it,” says Ernest Cantillon, co-founder of Cork’s Kinsale Spirit Company, which launched Red Earl Whiskey during the summer.

“The sausages taste amazing – they have red pepper, spiced apples and naturally a decent dollop of Irish whiskey, which gives a great colour and scent to the sausages as they cook.”

3. My Goodness Kimchi Bloody Mary Mix

The perfect cure for holiday hangovers, the Kimchi Bloody Mary Mix from My Goodness offers the hair of the dog with a host of health-promoting benefits; it’s probiotic, loaded with vitamin C and packed with other nutrients – just what the doctor ordered after a late night and all pre-mixed in one handy bottle.

“We make it from brine that we use in making our kimchi, and add smoke-dried jalapenos, celery seed, and garlic,” says chief goodness officer Virginia O’Gara.

Just add vodka and a celery stick for a punchy drink that will have you rocking around the Christmas tree by noon.

You can find My Goodness Kimchi Bloody Mary Mix at their English Market stall and it comes in The Vegan and Tex-Mex X-Mas Survival Kits too.