Don’t add salt, as an excess intake can raise your blood pressure over time, and avoid adding sugar, syrup or honey. A tablespoon of syrup, for example, adds 60kcal and 16g of sugar – nearly a third of the daily maximum sugar intake for a woman. Maple syrup and honey may sound natural, but aren’t any healthier and the sugar content is very similar. Sales of porridge oats continue to be higher in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, with Scott's Porage Oats taking the highest brand share. [5]

Former Royal Air Force Regiment Gunner Jason Harper witnesses this and then his wife, Pippa, telephones him, shouting that she needs him. They then get cut off. He sets straight out towards Aberdeen, unprepared for the nightmare that unfolds during his journey. Everyone seems to want to kill him. Porridge is our top choice for a heart healthy breakfast – when it is made with low-fat milk or water and unsweetened. All porridge oats are wholegrains and they all contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which can help lower your cholesterol level if you have 3g or more of it daily, as part of a healthy diet. (A 40g serving of porridge oats contains 1.6g of beta-glucan.) As well as this, you’ll be getting the fibre from the whole grains, plus there is no added sugar or salt.

History Of Porridge

Staunch traditionalists would simply add a pinch of salt at the end of cooking, and would never entertain the thought of adding sugar. Different types of porridge You can use either; ground oats will produce a smoother texture and be more authentic to days gone past. For this recipe, we used rolled oats as it is the easiest for people to find in the shop.

You need water almost the level of oats and a little bit more so the oatmeal will get cooked nicely. Add the sweetener. Now microwave in high for 2 minutes. Your oats should have been cooked by now. Is it bad to microwave steel cut oats? It was also the custom in olden days to eat porridge standing up (cited in the Three Chimneys Recipe Book. Use your imagination and flavour preferences to create unusual, amazing bowls of savoury goodness. Perfect for those who are not keen on sweet breakfasts. How do I reheat leftovers? Porridge is a deliciously healthy way to start the day. Whichever type of oat your porridge recipe calls for, you will still be eating amazing whole grains, and these can help reduce cholesterol as part of a healthy diet.The topic of what to add rages on. Traditionalists advocate adding salt though nutritionalists and doctors now know that salt is bad for the heart and Is microwave or instant porridge as good for me as traditional porridge? BHF dietitian Victoria Taylor says: A standard bowl of Porridge made with semi-skimmed milk typically contains 280Cal, according to My Fitness Pal. You can soak your oats overnight to speed up the cooking time – oatmeal, particularly pinhead oatmeal, takes longer to cook than the ready-steamed, rolled flakes. It takes such a long time to cook that I’m ill-disposed towards it from the start, but even so, I’m prepared to swear there’s no difference to the flavour. Essentially yes, if you’re talking about the breakfast dish made with oats. Oatmeal is certainly a type of porridge. We here in the UK have just taken the general word porridge and decided to only use it for porridge made from oats, as opposed to any other boiled grain or cereal. Weird toppings for Porridge?

Some die-hards deem salt the ONLY addition to a bowl of Porridge and a clear sign of Scottishness.We’re a little more open to trying as many different toppings as possible, but each to their own bowl of porridge! What do the Scottish add to their Porridge? For extra flavour, add fruit such as bananas, berries, raisins, apples or dates. These help towards your 5-a-day. A pinch of cinnamon adds a sweet flavour without any sugar. A thinner and more watery version is known as gruel. This is more likely to have been eaten by prisoners such as Ronnie Barker in the TV series Porridge about prison life!

3. Shredded whole wheat cereal

Steel Cut Oats / Irish Oats / Course Oatmeal / Pinhead Oats – These are oat groats sliced into half or thirds by steel blades. They take longer to cook and need a higher liquid ratio to make porridge. This means you require fewer oats to make a bowl, meaning you stay full longer. Variations of porridge recipes have been around in Scotland and the rest of the UK for centuries, but there is evidence of oats being grown for thousands of years across Europe. There are over 1001 variations of Porridge globally, so it’s been about a wee bit. No added sugar muesli contains a mixture of grains, fruit and nuts and the combination will differ between brands and varieties so the amount of oat beta glucans will be more variable than porridge, which is made only of oats. The dried fruit that is added should provide all the additional sweetness you need and will also count towards your five a day but choose a muesli with no added sugar and be aware that many fruit and nut mueslis (especially tropical fruit versions) contain sweetened dried fruit, which means they have sugar added even if it isn’t listed separately on the ingredients. Banana chips are another popular muesli ingredient that will contain added sugars and saturated fats. There’s nothing wrong with microwaving porridge, especially if you are in a rush in the morning. Instant porridge is fine if you stay away from flavoured or sweetened versions. Even healthy-sounding flavours such as apple and blueberry generally contain added sugars.

If you need a little honey to enjoy your oatmeal then of course it is okay. It is better than eating a sugary bowl of cereal!. Should you soak porridge oats overnight?Some of the more interesting toppings we’ve read about are butter, chocolate or whisky. We can understand adding butter over the centuries and even a dram of whisky, but here at Scottish Scran, we think if you’re going to add chocolate, then maybe just buy some Coco Pops! How many Calories are in Porridge? Rolled Oars / Jumbo rolled / Old Fashioned Oats – Probably the most popular or common oat, these oat groats are flattened by rolling and have been through a steam process. They have a more gentle flavour but take less time than some other oats to make porridge. We use these oats in this recipe.