Oats are amazingly good for you – and porridge is one of the easiest ways to add them to your diet
Oats are one of the healthiest whole grains you can eat and a great way to start the day. But instant oats are no substitute for proper porridge. If you want to know how to make porridge the traditional Scottish way, this porridge recipe is the real deal.
Jump straight to the porridge recipe
Porridge is the classic Scottish breakfast. And there’s no healthier breakfast to set you up for the day. Scotland oldest man,
When I was a kid, I was told real Scots didn’t put anything on their porridge except salt. And if – Biera
But I’ve got to be honest, porridge on its own was a little hardcore for me. I always snuck on a little double cream and brown sugar.
These days, I like a little fruit – fresh, frozen or dried – Greek yoghurt and maybe some nuts or seeds. P
Oat flakes and instant porridge can’t compare with traditional porridge made with oatmeal. Oatmeal gives your porridge a fuller flavour and improves the texture. And it has a lower glycaemic index. And that means it keeps you satisfied for longer.
How to make porridge
The traditional way to make porridge is to soak your oatmeal in cold water the night before. In the morning all it takes is to bring your porridge to the boil. Then let it
The best oatmeal to use is medium oatmeal. It’s the oatmeal used in this part of Scotland and it makes a less course porridge than
This porridge recipe makes one medium size portion. Feel free to adjust the quantities to suit your needs. If you keep the ratio of oatmeal to water at around 1:5, you’ll not go far wrong.
Enjoy!
Traditional Scottish Porridge
Ingredients
- 60 g medium oatmeal – about 2 heaped tablespoons
- 300 ml water
- 1 pinch salt optional
Instructions
Night before
- Put the oatmeal in a pan. A thick bottomed pan is best
- Cover the oatmeal with the water and leave at room temperature overnight
In the morning
- Add a pinch of salt if – not required, but I believe it improves the taste
- Give the soaked oats a good stir to mix them with the water – this will stop them from sticking and prevent lumps in your porridge
- Place the pan on a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally
- Once through the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 2 minutes
- Adjust the consistency with a little hot water if your porridge needs it
- Pour into a bowl and add your toppings
Notes
– Porridge is a wonderful canvas for other flavours. Add whatever toppings you enjoy, for example:
• fruits – fresh, dried or frozen
• nuts or seeds
• yoghurt or cream
• honey, syrups or sugar (just not too much!)
•
Hi, I’m Ralph
I’m an Associate Registered Nutritionist with over 25 years’ experience as a professional chef.
My passion is helping individuals gain control of their diet to achieve food freedom and health in today’s broken nutrition environment.
I’m based in Edinburgh and provide 1-2-1 online nutrition coaching and support across the U.K.
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Thanks for your article. My experience of eating oats for breakfast (having spent 20 years in the UK) has been to use milk not water. Not sure where substituting milk for water came from.
Thanks, Steve. Making porridge with milk instead of water isn’t “traditional” but it’s quite common in England (less so in Scotland). I’m not sure of the origins either. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s linked to eating cold breakfast cereals with milk.
If you prefer the taste of porridge made with milk – go for it. You’ll still get all the health benefits of oats and a satisfying breakfast. But, for safety, be sure to soak your oats in the fridge, not at room temperature.
This is just how my mother showed me how to make porridge. She said putting the salt in at night made the meal hard, so she put it in in the morning, like you do. And she showed me how her country granny ate her porridge. She didn’t pour her milk into the porridge bowl because that would cool your porridge down. Instead, the milk was poured into a cup and she placed a spoonful of porridge just under the surface of the milk. This is what I do and I get some funny looks in bed & breakfasts sometimes! But it works! (I’m 73 yrs old and my mother was born in 1916, so her granny must have been born in the mid-1800’s.
I love your great granny’s idea of dipping hot porridge into cold milk. Definitely going to try it!