Positively Porridge

When I think about porridge, three things come to mind........that hilarious comedy set in a prison with the fabulous Ronnie Barker and the wonderful, taken too soon from this world, Richard Beckinsale.......the second is 'Oliver Twist'....that poor downtrodden child suffering under enforced enslavement in a work house and fed on nothing but gruel......I'm not really sure what gruel is but it looked just like porridge made with dirty water to me....all grey and lumpy and definitely not appetizing, you would wonder how anyone survived at all!...and the third would be...BREAKFAST!

I was never really a fan of porridge, and when I talk about porridge I mean porridge made from oatmeal, but as I have matured in years my tastes have matured and now it is one of my favourite breakfasts!

Apart from being delicious, when made correctly, eating porridge is one of the healthiest and most nutritious ways to begin your day. It is full of fibre and complex carbohydrates that absorb slowly during digestion keeping you fuller for longer and preventing an attack of the mid-morning munchies!

Many view porridge as a very difficult thing to cook when in actual fact it is one of the simplest! 

When it comes to cooking porridge my mantra is......'LOW & SLOW'..... people seem to want to boil it to death and if you're making it with milk you risk burnt porridge, and believe me there is nothing worse in the world or more disgusting in flavour than burnt porridge!

So to make porridge correctly you need......

Buy rolled oats or porridge oats...the natural grain with nothing added 

Water....cows milk / soy milk/ almond milk  or whichever milk you like

A relatively non stick saucepan.....I like to use a stainless steel one with a good thick bottom which helps distribute the heat more evenly

A rubber ended, heat proof, spatula.....I find it helps loosen any porridge from around the side of the pan easily when cooking, a wooden spoon works well too

A measuring jug

Weighing scales.....use them once then arm yourself with a little plastic cup or a scoop of some sort so you don't have to pull out the scales every time you want porridge!

So how to make the perfect porridge......

per each person: 40 g porridge oats and 200 mls cold water or 100 mls water + 100 mls milk

If you want cream with your porridge....you naughty thing you!..... then it is best to add it on top of your porridge when it's in the bowl!

• pour your COLD liquid into the saucepan and add the oats, stir well to let the oats get all wet
• place your sauce pan on a low to medium heat....I liken cooking porridge to making a rice pudding....when you heat it slowly the grains burst and the starch released thickens the liquid....this is really what happens when cooking porridge too...so low and slow
• as the porridge heats up begin to stir to prevent any sticking to the side or base of the pan
• continue to cook gently until it has thickened nicely and you can see that all the grains have burst
• if you think the porridge is too thick you can now add more water or milk
• once it is done, serve straight away......keeping porridge and re-heating it in the next day in a microwave is.....how can I put this...YUCK! don't do it!

When it comes to topping your porridge anything goes really as long as it's what you want to eat!

You can have nuts, seeds, honey, maple syrup, cream, yogurt, fruit compotes, fresh blueberries, raspberries, figs, poached prunes, pears, peaches or just a plain old dash of milk and a pinch of salt if that's what you fancy.....a hotel I worked in years ago offered cream, honey and Scotch whiskey with the morning porridge.....very ostentatious! 

I enjoy my porridge with a drizzle of honey and a spoonful of mixed seeds.....sunflower and pumpkin, all very healthy! I make my porridge with water only then I add soy milk...but that's just my preference, you can add whatever you like, I recommend you don't dose it with refined white sugar....that's just defeating the purpose of this good wholesome breakfast!