PIMP YOUR PORRIDGE: STEP BY STEP GUIDE

On a cold winters morning, when you’re looking for a quick, warming, fuelling and healthy breakfast a well-known staple is the classic OG bowl of porridge. You may think, that’s so boring! We feel you…if you’re not very experimental then a basic bowl of plain warm oats doesn’t sound exciting enough to get us out of bed on a cold morning either!

When you are willing to get adventurous and start thinking outside the classic porridge bowl box though, you’ll realise that this boring reputation it gets is in fact very unfair and that porridge can easily be re-vamped to turn into your favourite winters breakfast that tastes so good it could be doubled up as a desert! Among with it’s tasty potential, the health benefits of a bowl of oatmeal (or any of the alternative base options we mention below), along with all the extra health boosting additions you can add to it, mean that this winter warmer should not be underrated. Some of the health benefits of porridge include, a high fibre content to help keep things moving digestively, lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels, as well as it being a powerhouse of nutrients and antioxidants.

For these reasons and for some all important creative breakfast inspo, we want to present you with a step-by-step guide of easy ways to pimp up that porridge bowl so that you will never mention the words ‘porridge’ and ‘boring’ in the same sentence again! These pimping ideas will not only help you jump out of bed more easily, they will give you energy, an extra morning nutritional boost, help keep you satisfied and provide you with flexibility depending on what kind of foodie mood you wake up in! Whether you’re after something sweet, savoury, or a bit of both…this guide had got you covered.

Without further a-do, here is our pimping OG porridge bowl guide below. Follow the steps and don’t hold back on adding as much (or little) and switching it up however you want-

Step 1:

The base (the base is key to the overall texture of the bowl, so try these out, find your favourite and make it your staple!)

Oats - preferably rolled or steel-cut as these are more nutrient dense than instant

Quinoa - a gluten-free grain that works as a higher protein and fibre packed option to oats

Buckwheat - another gluten-free grain and protein rich powerfood that is very easy to digest

Amaranth - the least well-known in the porridge base scene, this is the highest protein gluten-free grain option that also provides plenty of fibre and nutrients

Step 2:

The mixture (you want to aim for about a 1:2 ratio of this and the base)

Dairy milk

Nut milk (almond, cashew, macadamia)

Oat milk

Coconut milk

Water

Step 3:

Optional extra thickness/flavour

Protein powder - add your desired amount to the mix once cooked and stir it in

Superfood powders (maca, cacao)

Courgette - if you’ve never heard of adding courgette to your porridge before then you are probably as confused as we were when we first did! Grating in courgette to mix though adds to thickness and gives it an extra nutrition point. Give it a try- it tastes surprisingly good!

Carrots - similar to the courgette, add in grated comment for a carrot-y themed bowl that if you add the right toppings too, could also fool you into thinking you’re tucking into a warm piece of carrot cake ;)

Step 4:

The topping layer

Granola

Nuts (almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, pecans, pistachios)

Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia)

Fruit (blueberries, banana, pear, strawberries, apple)

Stewed berries/pear/apple

Caramelised banana

Yoghurt - if you’re after extra creaminess!

Roasted butternut squash/pumpkin

Avocado

Step 5:

The extra topping layer/layerS (because let’s face, you really can never have too many!)

Cinnamon

Honey/maple syrup/chocolate drizzle

Cacao nibs

Square (/s) of chocolate/choc chips

Tahini

Nut butter

Goji berries

Dried fruits- raisins, figs, dates

Coconut flakes

Sprinkle of sea salt

We hope these ideas have helped you move on from the thought that porridge has to be boring and that you never think about this breakfast staple in the same way again. If you have any other pimping porridge bowl suggestions, please share below!