Saturday 10 January 2015

Perfect Porridge

Can you believe I've made it to the ripe old age of (almost) 43 and I'm only just discovering the simple pleasures of homemade porridge?!
I've always loved Ready Brek, and in the last couple of years I was won over by the Oats So Simple flavoured sachets, but it's literally only this week that I've realised how quick, easy and deliciously filling simple porridge oats can be.

This is the image that got me started:

A Spoonful of Photography
Earl Grey Porridge, from A Spoonful of Photography (click on the image to go to her beautiful blog)

Porridge appeals to my "bung it" method of cooking ~ you really don't need to measure anything at all! I'm still trying lots of different variants, but here are some of the yummiest so far:


Earl Grey Porridge

Make a small cup of Earl Grey tea. Put about 1/3 cup of oats in a bowl. Pour the cup of tea onto the oats and microwave for approx. 2 mins. Stir through as much milk as it takes to achieve the consistency you like, then sprinkle with Demerara sugar or honey.


Creamy Yoghurty Porridge

Put 1/3 cup of oats in a bowl and add about the same amount of water. Microwave for approx. 2 mins. Stir through a 120g pot of yoghurt and top with a few fresh berries.


Cham Porridge

Cham is a cosy bedtime drink we often make in our house ~ you basically add a dash of cinnamon and a teaspoon of honey to a mug of milk and warm it in the microwave. It's a lot healthier than hot chocolate while still being a tasty treat.
To make Cham porridge, put 1/3 cup of oats in a bowl, add a dash of cinnamon then the water. Microwave for approx. 2 mins. Stir through as much milk as it takes to achieve the consistency you like then drizzle with honey and sprinkle on a few juicy sultanas.


So there you have three delicious low-cal variants on a classic breakfast. What are your favourite toppings? I'd love some more suggestions!