Jaki I was just thinking today that although it looked summery, there was a definite smell of autumn in the air. You're right - it will soon be time to get the porridge on the go again.

After the Moonwalk, Sue's daughter Hannah had porridge with white chocolate chunks! How's that for an idea?

I've still been having porridge all through the summer - had a fair few hot flashes because of it I can tell you!

I'm a porridge girl all year through as well! I love the stuff.

Me too! At the moment I'm having it with chopped dried apricots.

I so agree it is more autumnal and porridge should be the order of the day!
Nice serving suggestions!

Funny that, i've had porridge for the last couple of days again! Rhubarb and a dollop of fat free yoghurt in mine! Kids like brown sugar and cinnamon.


Stoat's Porridge Company are great and gave us sustanance after the Moonwalk - even gave me a shot of whisky in my coffee! some of their combinations are: raspberries and cream, pear and white chocolate - all a no no for us though!

I have found a porridge that does'nt lay heavy in my stomach. M&S organic mulitgrain jumbo porridge oats. (Thanks to Fiona C for the tip to mix grains). I cook it slow with soya milk, and then a aprinkle of brown sugar. If I remember the night before I soak the oats and milk over night.

Hello Patricia - I thought I recognised your name, although your green blob looks a lot like a number of others on here!

I must have a look for these oats in M&S - although I am half-heartedly boycotting them for putting beetroot up from 99p to £1.49 in one fell swoop.

Instead of soaking them overnight, I usually bring the whole lot to the boil then leave to half-cook in its own heat. Next morning it doesn't take long to finish cooking.

Oh I did laugh...I'm dressed in green today so my green blob pic is just the image of me lol!!

i SO AGREE WITH jAKI t TRADTIONAL PORRIDGE WITH SYRUP YUM!

I go through phases - sometimes I like it just plain, sometimes with things in...

At the moment my preference is making it with soya milk, put a dash of fructose (optional), and a sprinkle of The Food Doctor Omega Shake and sunflower seeds. I'm not a great fan of fruit in porridge, although I did used to like Dorset Cereals Berry Porridge, but they stopped making it...

I tried this this morning for a change - I am very low in iron and I find it quite hard to eat enough, so thought I would try this as apricots are a good source of iron. I used the unsulphured brown coloured ones, chopped up and added after cooking so they don't plump up too much, and it was quite nice. Had a glass of fruit juice for vitamin C as well, as that helps you to absorb the iron.

Very nice suggestion Natalie!

I also like it with dried dates in. Mmmmm

What quatities of porridge tp milk/water do you all use, and how long do you nuke it for.

I use the sachets, so I don't have to measure it out. A slosh of 1% milk and then 1 and 1/2 minutes in the microwave. If it's too stodgy I add some water. No exact science for me.

My husband likes his porrige with chopped up dates, apricots and prunes in it. I like mine the traditional way - made with one small cup of oatmeal,
one and a half cups of water and a big pinch of salt. Soak it overnight, then two and a half minutes in the microwave and that's that! I can't bear the thought of something sweet in my porrige and when my son makes it for his girls, they have a big glop of honey on top (eugh, must be because they are Londoners!!).

I make my concoction like this:
I have a big round cylindrical bowl if that makes any sense, so I put a good dollop of porridge oats in the bottom (Quaker), mix in black jumbo raisins (no sign of lexia raisins at the moment), seeds (eg sunflower, pine nuts, pumpkin,...), dried cranberries, then good dollop of dried coriander, some dried ginger and ground nutmeg. Stir it really well and slosh cold water over it so it's just covering it. In the microwave on Turbo Boost for 3 minutes and 10 seconds. I leave it for a while so it really is like some sort of cake, put some skimmed milk over the top and blueberries. I did used to have banana but it pushed the cals up a bit.

As you can see, I'm very particular about my porridge!

Jeannie, disaster of disasters, I couldn't find any Omega Seed Mix in Tesco last time I was there despite searching really hard. I hope they haven't discontinued them.

Gordon Ramsey does an interesting recipe for Bircher porridge in the Sept issue of Runners World
Mix 200 g rolled oats
+ 400 g Milk leave over night if possible
grate apple, roasted walnuts and any berries add yogurt and or honey to taste.

That's how I make mine, Pippa! - half a mug of oats to a full mug milk, soak overnight then 'bing' it for 3 mins, adding fruit, nuts etc - I keep frozen fruit in the freezer to add to my porridge all year round such as raspberries, rhubarb, stewed apples, redcurrants. I add a dollop of yoghurt at the end to give extra creaminess.

Jaki - Tesco have discontinued that lovely seed mix - I was quite up in arms about it!
Morrisons do a three seed mix in a large bag and an omega seed mix in a small bag, so I mix them together and use them that way - not as good as the Tesco mix though!
I think that I will turn into a squirrel with all the seeds I consume - on everything from salads to yoghurt!
The porridge recipes sound really intriguing - I am going to try some.

Tesco have started to stock the Food Doctor omega seed shake (poppy, linseed, hemp and sesame) and I add a few sunflower seeds for extra bite. You can probably mix your own cheaper? I make my own soya nuts which are a fraction of the price of the Food Doctor ones.

How's this for 'knit your own yoghurt'? I've cut the heads off the sunflowers in the garden and am drying them to collect my own sunflower seeds! I'm such an old hippy!
I toast sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds for a few mins in the oven, then put them in a jam jar for sprinkling on yoghurt and fruit ...mmmm

Yummy! tried gordon's recipe today with some cranberries and yogurt
very creamy delicious!

I have recently started to put pepper on my daily fix of porrage so that I could wean myself off the dollop of honey, and I am finding that it brings the flavour out where as honey used to mask it. I know that a true Scotts man puts salt on but I didn't want to go down the road of extra salt

Golly! I was brought up on porridge made with oatmeal, cooked in water and a pinch of salt. Pour it into a bowl and pour milk on top. very nourishing, warming and even my son has stated haveing this last year - the only way he takes milk at breakfast. I must start again as it is getting colder.
I remember the first time I had it with a banana in when travelling and it was very odd to have such a sweet taste.
Cereals taste horrid after a winter on my traditional porridge, though sadly one bowlful and the saccharine and salt flavour dissappers and the taste buds start to change.

Cally
I was brough up on Quaker oats made with water and a dollop of syrup but not sure i would have it that way now. Have only started porridge regime today as I think we are in autumn conditions!

The tomatoes are ripening nicely but if not all ripen then I will use your recipe. Thanks again.

Does it make a difference if you leave it overnight? I don't want to sound dumb, but I have never really liked porridge before, and my September challenge is to try and eat the stuff most days. I'm not doinf too badly so far.

Porridge is one of the super foods and if eaten without all the sweet things added will keep you filled till lunch time with no cravings. I make mine with water and fat free plain yogurt with a spoonful of linseeds and a handful of fresh berries. I also mesure my boiling water the night before and throw in 4 or 5 cardamon pods. After 5 or 10 mins I crush the pods so the seeds float out. I strain the water into the oats the following morning. Wonderful! No salt, no sugar and big organic oats. This for me is a truly healthy breakfast.

Time to get up in time to make porridge again methinks - you've all tempted me! - has to be Quaker Oats for me I'm afraid - I've tried loads of own brand in the past and some organic stuff which just don't seem to cook well at all - maybe I'm just impatient!

Really fills you up until lunchtime as well - consistency is always guess work with me as well!

I'm the same Helen - I adore Quaker Oats! I don't know what it is about the flavour and I've tried lots of others but it's got to be Quaker!! My grandmother always swore by Quaker and still uses them now, so it must be the happy memories of my childhood.

If you have a Somerfield, look for out for offers on the Quaker Oats, sometimes reduced to £1 a box. The Co-op have just bought out Somerfield so not sure will happen. They now do a 1.5kg box of Quaker too.

Jeannie, do you have any packets of the Omega Seed Mix still to know exactly what seeds were in it? I'll make my own I think. I do have a bag of sunflower seeds so think I'll use those tomorrow.