About the Recipe
When I was a teenager, I worked in a health food shop. My Manager, a lovely Scottish lady called Margaret, sometimes brought her breakfast with her to work, and that breakfast was usually porridge. Being a Scotswoman, she had it savoury, making it with water and salt.
This is not that recipe. I tried her porridge once (she offered, I’m not Goldilocks!) and I am sorry to say I almost gagged. While salty porridge has its fans, it’s just not to my taste.
What I like, is to make a creamy, not-too-sweet porridge base and then ring the changes with whatever I fancy or have in stock. If you know the basics, you can go wild with the extras… or not, sometimes simple is best. Just follow your instincts or try one of my ideas under 'Change It Up' below.
Get Ahead
Surprisingly, plain porridge does keep - tightly covered - for a couple of days in the fridge, though it’s still best freshly cooked. It will thicken on standing, so stir-in a little extra milk while reheating on the hob.
Special Equipment
Small saucepan
Ingredients
40 g rolled oats
250 ml oat milk
Method
Tip the porridge oats and milk into a saucepan and place over a medium heat on the hob.
Heat the milky oats to boiling point, stirring regularly, then turn down the heat, still stirring, and let it simmer away for 3–5 minutes. The longer you simmer it, the thicker it will be, so take it off the heat when it’s cooked to your liking.
Dietary Guide
1 of 5 a day (estimate)
Vegetarian ✔
Vegan ✔
Nut-Free ✔
Egg-Free ✔
Dairy-Free ✔
Gluten-Free ✔
Alcohol-Free ✔
Please note that this is a guide, not a guarantee. Double-check the recipe's ingredients listing yourself, as well as all listed ingredients on any packaged foods you use.
Wise Words
I like oat milk in this, but you can use any milk (plant or animal) that you like, or even - if you're like my old shop Manager - some water!
Change It Up
Off the heat, stir in your sweetener of choice and then add any extras, reserving any toppings until just before serving.
Apple and Cinnamon
1 tsp runny honey, plus extra for drizzling
1 tbsp dried apple pieces
¼ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
a few slices of fresh apple for topping
Strawberry and Vanilla
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp dried strawberries, ground
1 tsp dried strawberries, roughly chopped
a few slices of fresh or dried strawberries for topping
Maple and Blueberry
1 tsp maple syrup, plus extra for drizzling
a small handful of fresh blueberries
Coconut and Banana
1 tsp runny honey, plus extra for drizzling
1 tbsp dessicated coconut
1 small banana, peeled and thinly sliced
sprinkling of coconut flakes for topping