Fuel your day the right way on World Porridge Day with our PR Experts

I OFTEN find myself struggling to peel my eyes open on a freezing cold morning when it’s still pitch black outside. The only motivation I can gather is to stumble to the kettle and make myself the biggest coffee in an attempt to help me start the day.

I’m really not a breakfast person so sourcing energy for a busy day at work is next to impossible. Or at least it was before I found porridge.

For years I ruled it out as some horrible gooey dish that only old people ate, but, along with the rest of the world, I have recently discovered how wrong I was. Porridge has recently ‘gone posh’ with various ingredients being partnered with it allowing it to rise to breakfast fame and sending people into an oat-y frenzy, creating never ending delicious dishes to share with the world.

As my love of porridge grew, I’d find myself having it every day running the risk of getting sick of it.  So I decided to look up various recipes, to ensure my morning always started with a twist, and what better day to share some tasty dishes than on the official World Porridge Day.

Not only has people’s love for it spiralled out of control but so has the need to take pictures of it and post it on social media before they demolish it. The advantage of this is that it’s another easy way of finding alternative recipes for when your ones get old.  

However, some of my favourite porridge recipes have come from the great Jamie Oliver, I often find myself trawling through his books looking for something else to try. Even with the recent Chorizo-gate.

The Recipes:

First up is the classic dish, sometimes you just can’t go wrong with a simple bowl of porridge:

1. Place the oats and the milk or water in a large pan over a medium heat.
2. Add a tiny pinch of salt and stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Bring to a steady simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring as often as you can to give you a smooth creamy porridge – if you like your porridge runnier, simply add a splash more milk or water until you’ve got the consistency you like.

Next we have the blackberry and apple mix:

1. Pull off the apple stalk, then use a box grater to coarsely grate it onto a chopping board (core and all).
2. Stir the grated apple and most of the honey through the porridge for the last few minutes of cooking.
3. Squash in most of the blackberries, then serve with the remaining scattered on top and the remaining honey drizzled over.

Another favourite is the banana, almond and cinnamon creation:

1. Peel, then slice the bananas on a chopping board
2. Add the almonds to a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat (there’s no need for oil) for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly golden, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir the cinnamon, poppy seeds and most of the maple syrup or honey through the porridge.
4. Serve with the bananas and toasted almonds on top and the remaining syrup or honey drizzled over.

And you can never go wrong with the last one – Apple, maple syrup and pecan porridge:

1. Pull off the apple stalk, then use a box grater to coarsely grate it onto a chopping board (core and all).
2. Snap the pecans up into little pieces, then add them to a small non-stick frying pan over a medium heat (there’s no need for oil) for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly golden, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir the grated apple and most of the maple syrup through the porridge for the last few minutes of cooking.
4. Serve with the toasted pecans on top and the remaining maple syrup drizzled over.

For more information and nutritional values for these recipes you can go to: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/porridge-lots-of-ways/

And it doesn’t stop there:

The benefits of porridge are never ending. Not only is it tasty, warm, filling and healthy but we’ve recently discovered, through our client Bupa, that it’s also the key to a long life.

Paisley resident Neil McNeil shared his secret, which he believe is what has kept him young and helped him reach 104 years old – Scott’s Porage Oats. He he has a bowl each morning and even sometimes sneaks one in as a midnight snack.

So if the nutritional value isn’t enough then remember, a bowl of porridge a day keeps the wrinkles away.

NOW YOU KNOW HOW WE START THE DAY – IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR PR EXPERTS IN EDINBURGH YOU’LL KNOW THE BEST TIME TO CALL.

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