Here I'll list some of the most common breakfast foods that I usually have and how I have managed to obtain them plastic free. If you have any suggestions of other breakfast foods that need a bit more preparation, let me know in the comments below.
Muesli, Fruit & Yoghurt
I am lucky enough to live near a corner shop that has some lose dry goods including rolled oats and simple muesli. I really like granola and if you have the time you can even make your own using oats, seeds, nuts and dried fruits from the zero waste store. I haven't yet tried to do this so I am just making do with simple muesli.
At our house, we get a fruit and veg box delivered weekly and it usually comes plastic free, so I just use up whatever is in our fruit bowl. You can even get an apple slicer for speedy apple and pear preparation. We get our fruit and veg box from Oddbox, but you can also purchase these at the supermarket using a reusable cotton or mesh bag instead of the plastic ones the shops provide.
The yoghurt I use is River Cottage. It gets delivered by our milkman from Milk&More and it comes in a glass jar, which I can then reuse to go to the zero waste store as it is a good size. It is on the pricey side but I don't mind as it gets delivered straight to my door and is delicious.
Porridge
Our porridge oats come from the local corner shop which sells lose dried goods or from the zero waste store. I make them either with milk or oat milk. We get normal milk from Milk&More in glass bottles which get sterilised and refilled. As my husband is lactose intolerant, we also keep oat milk in the house. We usually buy this in the cartons but we recently got an Almond Cow and are experimenting with making our own.
Toast
We often have toast for breakfast, especially when in a rush. I was lucky enough to receive a bread machine for my birthday a few years ago which I have since used most days. If you are trying to go plastic free and haven't got the time to make bread by hand or go to the bakery with a paper or cotton bag, I would highly recommend a bread machine. The only catch is you need to remember to put it on a few hours before you want the bread to be ready (depending on the type of flour and recipe used). We usually make it the night before so we wake up to the smell of fresh bread.
In terms of butter, I have not yet found a perfect solution. I opt for solid butter which comes in a metal and plastic film rather than spreadable versions which are packaged with a lot more plastic. I have not yet found a completely plastic free alternative. I have heard that some brands come packaged in paper but I haven't found this in my local shops. A good alternative is peanut butter in a glass jar if you are not allergic to peanuts.
Jams and spreads usually come in glass jars, which can then be re-purposed for either home made jam, or storing other goods from the zero waste store.