5 Ways with Porridge
Winter in Ireland is suited to warm blooded sorts: those that don’t need to sit beside radiators or get dressed under their bedcovers, or even spend work-from-home days in bed (I speak from hearsay of course, not experience).
Joyfully, for fellow lizards and the wider population, there are oats.
A scrap of a fact that I discovered is that there is an annual World Porridge Making Championships in Scotland. If you are thinking of stirring in, entries open on the spring equinox and close on the summer. One of my favourite recipes on their website is for an Australian porridge with mango, lime, coconut, macadamia nuts and honey.
Toes peeking out from under the duvet early in the morning, feeling for slippers that are waiting patiently on the sheepskin rug. A thick woolen jumper, size XL for comfort, secure in the knowledge that there are no early morning witnesses to haystack hair and mascara black eyes either. I feed the cats, then turn on the stove. If I was organised the night before, the oats have been soaking in water, apparently to release more nutrients.
We keep it simple in our house, usually just almond milk, a pinch of salt and then some fruit or raisins, maybe a little spice, and that’s it. Every day.
Here are our 5 favourite ways with porridge:
Berries with almond butter, hawthorn honey and sliced pear (we add frozen berries during the cooking of the oats, so that the porridge turns pink, then swirl almond butter and honey over the top with sliced pear on the side)
Grated fresh turmeric and ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, local honey and topped with goji berries and clementines (or chopped almonds and ginger syrup)
Topped with Winter spiced rhubarb....cooked in water with cinnamon, cardamon, vanilla and star anise...... Sesame seeds, fresh pear and frothy oat milk.
Cooked with raisins and topped with walnuts, flaxseed and chia seeds, sprinkled with demerara sugar and cream
Bananas cooked in the porridge and topped with stem ginger and syrup, pumpkin seeds, goji berries, cocoa nibs.
