I like breakfast because I dread work and lingering over waffles is a good way to delay it. Americans order breakfast like they haven't eaten for a month. This is clearly because they have a lot less sex than Europeans and have to satiate themselves with food to make up for it. Or perhaps that's just me. But the variety of breakfasts in the US is staggering. One would like to say this is due to the diversity of its immigrants and the flourishing of their cultures but it's probably due to the greed of its restaurateurs. Which doesn't make pancakes with syrup any less delicious, only it does add a dollar fifty to your bill. I find the waffles at Balthazar somewhat irresistible because they're light and tangy and possess a faint taste of hazelnut. Of course if you eat waffles every day of the week you'd soon kill yourself, and many Americans do. But as an occasional indulgence, there's no better way to start the day.

MAKES 16-18 WAFFLES
plain flour 450g
baking powder 2½ tsp
salt ½ tsp
bicarbonate of soda ½ tsp
caster sugar 1 tsp
eggs 3
soured cream 350ml
milk 350ml
butter 175g, plus extra for greasing the waffle iron
honey 75ml
hazelnuts 115g, toasted and roughly chopped

For the warm berries:

fresh strawberries 150g, hulled
fresh raspberries 200g
fresh blueberries 200g
fresh blackberries 175g
caster sugar 100g
freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tbsp, from ½ lemon

Sift the dry ingredients together. In a large bowl, combine and mix the eggs, soured cream and milk. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk or beat together until smooth. Melt the butter and honey together in a pan and add to the rest, stirring well. Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes.

Melt some extra butter to grease the waffle iron. Pour in enough batter to fill the waffle iron, sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over the batter and close the waffle iron. Follow the waffle iron's manufacturer's instructions to make the waffles. Just like when you make crêpes, the first waffle will not be the prettiest.

Wash the berries in a colander and pick through, discarding any that seem overripe or damaged. Transfer half of the berries to a medium saucepan and add the sugar and lemon juice. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir until the berries start to break down. Continue to stir until a simmer is achieved, about 5 minutes. Press through a sieve into a saucepan. Add the remaining whole berries and warm through. Serve with the waffles.

Keith McNally will open his first London restaurant in the autumn