Healthy living
Healthy eating
Doing porridge
Lindsey Bareham looks at the latest ways of adding oomph to oatmeal, bringing new flavours to a breakfast classic
Porridge is a food that divides people. I was brought up to cook it in water with a generous pinch of salt until thickened and almost solid. We then sprinkled it with dark muscovado sugar and poured very cold milk round the edge. The trick was to devour the porridge before the milk lost its chill, adding top-ups when necessary so that every mouthful was a contrast of hot and cold. My best friend's mum cooked hers in milk and she ate it without sugar or extra milk. Later I shared a flat with someone who cooked porridge in a mixture of milk and water and ate it with a sprinkling of salt and a knob of butter.
I've taken to eating my winter porridge oats with plums stewed with scraps of ginger and palm sugar, also known as jaggery. I cut the plums in bite-size pieces for instant gratification and their addition turns a pleasantly dull warming breakfast into something rather special. My other excess is a dollop of natural yoghurt but I also like a small jug of fridge-cold milk on the side. In the past I've grated apple into hot porridge, added blueberries - excellent because they soften and intensify flavour in the heat - and made fruit salad to eat at the same time. Unwittingly, I've tapped into the latest porridge craze.
If you linger at the porridge shelf of your local store, looking past the Quaker Oats, you will notice an outbreak of fruity porridge. Some, like Oatso Simple, a microwavable almost instant porridge flavoured with blackberry and apple, or raspberry, or golden syrup, key into our obsession with instant food. For maximum excitement, this porridge is packaged in individual sachets, a classic example of excessive packaging if ever there was one.
As a huge fan of the muesli made by Dorset Cereals, I succumbed to their fruity porridge, which is probably the most expensive at an average £3 for 800g (from Waitrose, Sainsbury, Tesco, Morrison and Asda or visit www.dorsetcereals.co.uk.) It takes about 6 minutes to cook and during that time the mixture of jumbo oats for texture and Scottish rolled oats for creaminess, is coloured by the dried fruit. I liked the mixed berries best - dried cranberries, blueberries and raspberries - which swell and colour the porridge but for me it was spoiled by the inclusion of raisins which feature too in fruit & nut and apple & raisin. Or for a real blast in the morning why not add toasted seeds and goji berries, a mix between dried cherry and cranberry which contains 2000% more antioxidants than oranges and 500 times the vitamin C.
Everyday porridge
My favourite every day porridge is organic Flahavan's from Tesco at £1.79 per 1 kg (recycled) paper sack. (flahavans.com.) It only takes 3 minutes to cook and delivers all the texture and flavour of the finest rolled oats. When time isn't an issue, I like the anticipation of John McCann's steel cut oat meal. It takes 30 minutes for the pin meal to soften but its nutty yet creamy flavour makes it worth the wait. It comes in a beautiful silver and white 793g tin and averages a hefty £5. Available in selected Tesco and Sainsbury's stores
The Scottish way
Heresy, perhaps, but both these Irish oats would be perfect for Atholl brose, the Scottish way of cooking porridge with honey and whisky. I make this rather wonderful winter weekend breakfast by cooking the porridge in the usual way then adding a tablespoon of honey before beating in a measure of whisky and two scoops of double cream per serving.
Reader comments
My mum used to put the added incentive of a blob of jam on top, plus a splash of cold milk. Nowadays it's maple syrup for me. Mmmm.
Posted by: Indigo | 24/11/2008 15:55:43
I enjoy porridge with any kind of fruit but my favourite to date is with tinned pineapple in its own juice. beautiful.
Posted by: Dave | 20/11/2008 19:06:48
I use the cheapest "value" porridge and add diced dried fruit, sunflower seeds and (after cooking) a variety of other fruits, whatever I have, on top. Cooked in the bowl for 2 mins in the microwave. Lovely, and minimal washing up!
Posted by: Rob Hurley | 19/11/2008 22:46:20
I just don't like milk of any sort so I have Flahavan's Organic Jumbo oats soaked in organic apple juice mixed with a dessert spoonful each of sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds all mixed up with either a chopped-up apple or pear. Keeps me going until lunch time.
Posted by: Paul Cooper | 19/11/2008 17:42:38
I use porridge oats and coarsen them up a bit by mixing in rolled barley and rye flakes from the health food shop. Cook with water (soak overnight if you remember) and eat with a spoonful of Golden Syrup and a splash of evaporated milk. Delicious!
Posted by: Nigel Walker | 19/11/2008 09:31:06
As a child in North Yorkshire, porridge was always cooked on the stove hob, made with half water and milk, plus a pinch of salt, served with cold milk and brown sugar. These days I use one measure of Quaker Oats to two and a half measures of semi skimmed milk. The trick is to stand this mixture for as long as possible before cooking in the microwave for four -five minutes, stir and cook for a further minute depending on how thick you like your porridge. Result - lovely creamy porridge. This only needs a spoon of runny honey and is delicious!
Posted by: Christine Furniss | 18/11/2008 09:11:00
I love porridge with a sliced banana and spoonful of honey and served with cold milk.Yum. If I feel like a change I slice a pear into small chunks and add just a little bit of honey.
Posted by: Janet Ready | 17/11/2008 19:02:40
Try Sainsbury!s oats with bran a teaspoon of honey and Elmlea single cream light its delicious and healthy and I do it in the microwave for 1 1/2 mins. Margareta
Posted by: margaret taylor | 17/11/2008 19:01:57
50gms rolled oats, 25gms raisins, soak in good amount of cold water overnight (about 450mls). Boil up the next morning. result, a creamy porridge, no need for sweetening, and a good breakfast to start a cold day. Add a bit of milk for extra creaminess. Yum!
Posted by: Gina J | 17/11/2008 17:28:43
I love my porridge, too, and cook it with soya milk,for added health reasons.But I felt I tended to put on weight, so have now changed to Special K temporarily. Oh! I added a splash of honey to it !! How many calories does one reckon there is in porridge?!!
Posted by: Jean Haworth | 15/06/2008 15:12:44
for anyone who thinks they don't like porridge try 50grams oats, cup of water, mix and microwave on high for 1min 30 seconds then add a low fat yogurt such as weight watchers desert recipe delicious
Posted by: Barbara Deacon | 13/03/2008 20:44:56
Porridge is great for stabilizing blood sugar levels.It prevents me from going hypo[Type 2 diabetes]. Also helps you loose weight as you feel full all morning and have no need of a mid morning snack.Try it!
Posted by: Julia Newman | 01/11/2007 16:41:56
I was delighted to find that any oats make great microwave porridge – half a cup of oats, a cup of milk, microwave in a bowl , stirring each of the three times it rises, then enjoy. I, too, add bits and pieces of fruit, and sometimes substitute smoothie for part of the milk. Lidl oats, at 25p for a decent sized bag, make consistently excellent porridge.
Posted by: Morton Davis | 30/10/2007 18:20:22
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
