October 10th sees us celebrate one of the most enduring staples of the breakfast table: porridge. Packed with nutrients, quick to prepare, sustaining and offering value for money, porridge is a great way to kick start your day.
This versatile meal isn’t only delicious, it’s also packed with health benefits and will fill you up well into the day. Traditionally viewed as a meal with its origins in Scotland, porridge can trace its roots as far back as the Anglo Saxons and Vikings, who used barley to make their porridge and added honey and fruits to their bowls.
On World Porridge Day, how could you celebrate?
Become a porridge World Champion
Think you have the porridge making skills to take on the world? Then why not enter the Porridge World Championship. Held annually in the Scottish Highland village of Carrbridge, the event has been running since 1994. Open to all comers, competitors battle it out to become the Porridge World Champion.
Get creative with your porridge
If you’re not quite at world champion levels yet, fear not. We’re here to help.
In the same way that wine is more than just grapes, porridge is much more than the oats and milk that make up its simplest form. As the Vikings showed us, replacing oats with barley opens a world of flavour opportunities.
From pearled grains to ground barley, different forms of barley can be used to make a delicious bowl of warming porridge. You can enhance the natural nutty flavour that’s imparted by the barley by toasting it before making your porridge. If you want to go a step further, almond milk can be used in place of cows’ milk to complement barley’s nutty flavour.
And don’t worry if you’re in a rush, you can still enjoy a tasty and nutritious bowl of porridge. Using mini pearled barley reduces cooking time as it’s so quick to hydrate. Add a topping of your choice, and off you go.
There are so many possibilities, and we’ve been trying and testing recipes to share with our customers. This one’s our favourite: why not give it a go this World Porridge Day?
You will need:
475mls milk
25g honey
A pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
1 tspn vanilla extract
80g barley flakes
25g raisins & dried cranberries
Method:
1. Heat the milk, honey, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a pan
2. Add the barley flakes and dried fruits and cook on a low heat for approximately 10 - 12 minutes,
stirring frequently until the porridge thickens and the barley flakes soften
3. Remove from the heat and serve
4. Add a topping of your choice, such as a drizzle of honey and toasted seeds
Enjoy!
Want to find out more about how our products can help deliver a breakfast revolution? Contact us for more details.