Pimp Up Your Porridge

What better way to start your day than with a delicious, warming bowl of porridge. The health benefits from the humble oat are vast, which gives us another reason (not that we needed it) to tuck into a bowl every morning.

As a wholegrain, oats have a proven track record in reducing our bad LDL cholesterol levels. They are high in fibre too, which means they provide a slow gradual release of energy, great at stabilising your blood sugar levels, great for satiety and great for gut health. To top it off, they are a little powerhouse of nutrients, packed full of B vitamins, zinc, folic acid & iron.

There are so many oat ‘pots’ on the shop shelves these days and although we can’t argue that these are convenient, they do contain a fair amount of hidden sugar. We want to show you that you can make a healthy bowl of porridge exciting and save yourself some money too. A 1kg bag of oats can cost as little as £0.75 meaning that an average 30g serving will cost around 2p and last you for 1 month!

So with that said, let’s pimp up your porridge!

To start off with choose your oats – jumbo, rolled, flakes… it’s a personal preference. Next choose your liquid – stick with tradition & go for milk or use water, but some find this a little bland. So why not mix it up by trying one of the nut or seed milks available? Hazelnut, almond, coconut, hemp… if you do, try & choose the unsweetened versions as these contain fewer calories.

Toppings & Flavours:

1. Fresh Fruit – sliced banana, grated apple, pear, pomegranate & berries all work wonders.

2. Dried fruit – try some chopped dates, raisins or goji berries.

3. Nut & Seeds – flaked/slivered almonds, pecan nuts, walnuts, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseeds or chia seeds.

4. Spices – cinnamon, mixed spice or vanilla extract added at the end of cooking can add a subtle flavour to your porridge.

5. Sauces – honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, homemade fruit compote or a drizzle of cream for special occasions. Or why not add a dollop of Greek yogurt?

6. Misc – Try adding a teaspoon of matcha powder – the kids will love the green food novelty!

How do you make yours…

Harriet?

I use wholegrain oats with just enough liquid to cover. My chosen liquid is half water and half milk, usually semi-skim or soya. Some people may pull a face at the use of water, but trust me it makes for a creamier consistency. I always cook it slowly on the hob too, which adds to the creaminess and pretty much takes the same amount of time as it does in the microwave. Whilst the porridge is cooking I add some raisins to the mixture. Once cooked I then top it with half a banana, a few more raisins, walnuts, honey and a very generous sprinkle of cinnamon.

Gemma?

You can’t beat porridge made on the stove, so, to the pan I add 30g of jumbo oats, (just because I prefer the texture) and then cover them with semi ski

mmed milk. I let this mixture bubble away for a few minutes with an occasional stir. Once done, I mix in ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon and a handful of raisins or whatever other dried fruit I’ve got in my cupboard… then once in my bowl I top it off with a couple of teaspoons of gut friendly golden linseeds.