Wednesday, November 14, 2012

That's no' how you make porridge!

It has been so cold the last few days that I have been going to work in my winter coat and boots, despite the fact that the official start of summer is just weeks away. It has made me very cross - although I love my coat and boots, I am heartily sick of wearing them. There is a lot of hype here at the moment about Wellington being 'the middle of Middle Earth', thanks to the upcoming premiere of The Hobbit, but I think it's more like Narnia: always winter and never Christmas.

The one good thing about these chilly mornings is that we can still eat our fill of porridge. I know I should be doing a Pete Evans and having activated almonds and coconut kefir, but porridge is the most sustaining breakfast I know. This year I've refined my method - and ingredients - to make it slightly more interesting to eat and reduce the number of burnt pots. Here's  how I do it.


For one small person and one large: Put 1/4 cup of whole oats and 1/4 cup rolled oats in a small pot. Cover with 1 1/2 cups cold water. You can do this the night before, if you remember. In the morning, put the pot over very low heat. Stir occasionally as you pass by. When it is thick and bubbling, let it cook for a minute or two more, then turn it off and let stand while you negotiate over who has what bowl and which spoon.

I mostly eat mine plain, but occasionally throw in frozen berries and top it with creme fraiche or yoghurt. The Small Girl likes hers with yoghurt and 'sprinkles' (muesli).

Are you a porridge fan? What do you put on yours?

* Disclaimer: I have Scottish heritage, so although you may read this post and say, 'that's no' how you make porridge!', I am not contravening any laws. Pin It

12 comments:

  1. Ahh, now I understand your Narnia post from Twitter.

    Love porridge in pretty much any format, though my favourite is my mother's made with proper oatmeal, water and a pinch of salt. Cooked overnight in the aga, it comes out beautifully creamy and delicious and needs no other adornment, although a spoonful of clotted cream never goes amiss. For something rather more decedent I have chocolate porridge a few posts back on my blog.

    We drink kefir most mornings, but now I want coconut kefir - what a brilliant idea :)

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  2. Hello! first comment, but longtime stalker..er.. reader. I'm going through a buckwheat phase. Sprouted buckwheat porridge is my thing and I've evolved from porridge in a bowl to various types of buckwheat pancake/pikelet.

    And as for burned porridge. Is there anything more sticky IN THE WORLD? They should put houses together with that stuff.

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  3. I have nothing but admiration for those who can eat porridge. As a result of force-feeding as a child, just the smell of it automatically activates my gag-reflex - can't even be in the same room with porridge. Rice pudding - same thing!!

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  4. Wow! I have that bowl. And a cup, spoon, and little shovel piece of cutlery that matches. All the way in Canada, kept since I was a child in the 80s/90s. :)

    Small, small, world in the strangest of ways...

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  5. I love small girl's bowl. I'm a bit so-so about porridge. I do like making and eating it, but the whole porridge-will-fill-you-up-til-lunch thing is just not true for me at all. Porridge makes me hungry! That said, I like mine with demerara sugar on the top, nice and crunchy.

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  6. Aren't those bowls amazing? That one was mine originally so it is, err, well-aged, and it's only now that I appreciate how incredibly well-designed it is - how the lip helps you scoop things out and how the picture on the bottom (mine is of the bunnies camping out) is a good incentive to eat all your porridge so you can see them!

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  7. I like Scottish Oats with milk and honey :-) x

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  9. Yup, definitely been porridge weather. These days our oats are supplemented with a dose of LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond) and keeps you going twice as long and regular porridge. Topped with some fruit or cane sugar and cream. I suspect we'll be eating this through the "summer" too.

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  10. We eat porridge all year - even in the hot weather. At our house, it's brown sugar, LSA and wheatgerm! On Sudays - of course - it's pancakes with maple syrup and butter and lemon. Thanks for all the good recipes and ideas from this aussie.

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  11. I hear ya - living in Scotland I fill like it is always winter and never Christmas too - can't tell you the last time we had a 'proper' summer! But a good bowl of porridge is always a fantastic way to set you up for the day and I am so pleased to see your daughter has a bunikins bowl which I always had my meals from as a child too.

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  12. It has been cold here too - though will get us in the mood for scotland - Sylvia and E are still enjoying porridge each morning - we make it in the microwave which is quick and never a burnt pot.

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Hello - thanks for stopping by. If this was real life I'd make you a cup of tea and open the biscuit tin, but in lieu of those things, let's have a chat anyway...